James Gunn has rebounded spectacularly after Disney fired him from Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; the Mouse House got Kevin Feige to break the news to the filmmaker that his services were no longer required.
Just days later, Warner Bros. swooped in and offered any project of his choosing; Gunn picked The Suicide Squad. It bombed at the box office, largely because it is an R-rated $185 million blockbuster during a pandemic, but it’s receieved some of the best reviews DCEU has seen.
Not only was the filmmaker rehired to helm Vol. 3 — which starts production before end of the year — he also wrote the entirety of Peacemaker and directed several episodes himself. Originally designed as a prequel, set before The Suicide Squad, but Gun changed his mind. In a social media interaction with a fan, Gunn teased that Peacemaker was more of a direct sequel than a spinoff.
Gunn notes that he’d be open to another feature outing with Task Force X, and the studio certainly reciprocates those feelings. The Suicide Squad will lose money in the long run, but should Peacemaker win anything approaching the levels of acclaim that greeted the character’s big screen debut, then the signs would be encouraging for a third installment.