Suicide Squad 2 Eyeing Mid-2018 Start; Mel Gibson No Longer Attached

Suicide Squad 2 is no longer in stasis.

With news that The Shallows helmer Jaume Collet-Serra has emerged as the hot-tipped favorite to direct, The Hollywood Reporter went into a little more detail to reveal that Warner Bros.’ follow-up is now eyeing a mid-2018 start, but those hoping that Mel Gibson would swap Okinawa for Task Force X will be disappointed to learn that the Oscar-winner is no longer in the race.

The Hacksaw Ridge filmmaker became one of the more high-profile directors to come into contention for Suicide Squad 2 earlier this year, joining a roster of potential candidates that at one point included Daniel Espinosa (Life) and Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies). It appears that Warner’s wishlist has now been whittled down to Jaume Collet-Serra, who was first linked with Task Force X’s sophomore outing back in March. THR goes on to stress that this is by no means a done deal though, as Collet-Serra’s decision to sign on for TV drama Waco may complicate the situation.

Another crucial tidbit buried within yesterday’s report concerns Suicide Squad 2‘s actual screenplay. After drafting in The Legend of Tarzan screenwriter Adam Cozad, we understand Zak Penn (The Avengers, Ready Player One) has turned in the latest treatment, which will seemingly form the basis of Jaume Collet-Serra’s sequel – assuming he climbs aboard, of course. We will, as always, keep you right up-to-date as this story develops.

Beyond his work on Blake Lively shark thriller The Shallows, Collet-Serra is known for his frequent collaborations with Hollywood veteran Liam Neeson, given that the pair has engineered a smattering of action movies that includes Non-Stop, Run All Night and long-delayed thriller, The Commuter.

Whatever the outcome, the Suicide Squad 2 director will be replacing the outgoing David Ayer, who parted ways with Task Force X to take the reins on Harley Quinn-fronted spinoff, Gotham City Sirens. That project’s also beginning to coalesce at Warner Bros., just don’t expect an official announcement until after the release of Justice League in November.

Speaking of which, now that Wonder Woman has become one of the biggest hits of 2017, Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s DC ensemble movie is next up to hit the silver screen, and will do so on November 17th.