James Gunn disclosed on his Instagram Stories that Warner Bros. offered him whatever he wanted in an effort to lure him into helming the project of his choice.
Following his successful turn at writing and directing Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gunn was primed to return to assuming both roles for the third installment of the Guardians franchise until a series of problematic tweets dating as far back as a decade ago resurfaced. Disney decided to cut ties with Gunn over what chairman Alan Horn called "indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values."
Gunn would later admit in a May interview with Deadline that he didn't fault Disney for letting him go. "Disney totally had the right to fire me," he said. "This wasn't a free speech issue."
Disney eventually opted to work towards having Gunn return as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 nearly one year later, despite his new commitment to The Suicide Squad. Warner Bros. pounced on the opportunity to land Gunn after the filmmaker issued another apology on Twitter while a number of actors who have worked with him on Guardians expressed their support for him.
"I was basically offered whatever I wanted. I most wanted to do 'Squad,'" Gunn revealed on his Stories. His decision to oversee what become known as The Suicide Squad came with the understanding that the film wouldn't be a sequel to the 2016 David Ayer-directed film, but instead, a reboot of sorts.
Gunn has used his ability to freely wield power to enlist a cast for The Suicide Squad that includes Idris Elba, John Cena, Nathan Fillion, Taika Waititi, Storm Reid, Pete Davidson, and Michael Rooker, as well as the return of Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, and Viola Davis from the 2016 film.
The Suicide Squad is set to drop on August 6, 2021.
