David Ayer's future with the DC Extended Universe may be in doubt, as he may not direct Gotham City Sirens after all. Ayer jumped into the DCEU last year with Suicide Squad following a string of critical hits, but his villain starring feature did not deliver the same result. Post-production conflicts with the studio resulted in a vastly different tone for the final cut, and seemed to indicate the friction between him and the studio would make Suicide Squad his only DCEU film. But, he was later announced to be helming Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn spinoff Gotham City Sirens.
Since starting work on the project, he's teased Catwoman and Poison Ivy being included, as well as Black Mask, but there has yet to be any official word from the studio about the status of the film. In fact, it was noticeably missing from the logo lineup WB unveiled at SDCC. Now, it appears Ayer may not direct the film.
In a report regarding Zack Snyder's future with the DCEU, Mashable also gave some insight on Sirens, revealing the possibility of Ayer not directing. This is according to their sources following the film not being officially green-lit at SDCC. But, Ayer's reps denied this possibility when asked by Mashable, stating that he's still developing the film and working on finalizing the script.
Ayer deciding to work with WB and the DCEU once more following Suicide Squad always was a curious decision, but one that was reportedly pushed for by Robbie. His involvement with Sirens appeared to indicate that any bad blood he had with WB no longer existed, but Ayer's statements at SDCC indicate otherwise. He praised Netflix for the creative freedom he had with Bright, simultaneously expressing his issues with making studio PG-13 films (like Suicide Squad).
Considering Ayer's reps denied this report, it is possible he could still wind up directing the film - despite these previous sentiments. But, it is ultimately up to WB and DC Films' Geoff Johns to decide whether or not he'll stick. Just recently, Ayer discussed his personal interest in making Sirens. If he truly is passionate about the project and the message it will send, then any issues the two sides may have at the moment could be reconciled in the near future and allow Ayer to stick with Sirens.
But, as Ayer has continued to flirt with other projects - he was in talks to direct the Scarface reboot - he may see the writing on the wall. If WB's slate from SDCC include their current priorities, then it could be years before Sirens even gets off the ground. Or, maybe it has been scrapped altogether and is the reason behind them developing a Harley Quinn vs The Joker film. Whatever the case may be, Ayer is still attached as of right now, but who knows whether or not he will continue to be.
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Gotham City Sirens is currently in development and does not have a release date.
Source: Mashable