James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has been widely praised by critics as a huge improvement over its predecessor. Whereas the 2016 original didn’t exactly have fans clamoring for more, the 2021 reboot-quel has introduced a bunch of beloved new characters that audiences can’t wait to see again.
Although The Suicide Squad has underperformed at the box office, its streaming numbers on HBO Max, according to Deadline, have been impressive enough that Warner Bros. might still want another Suicide Squad sequel. As Gunn starts work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the studio might have to find a new director to helm Suicide Squad 3. But who would be good contenders?
Taika Waititi
Now that James Gunn has proven it’s possible to direct tentpole movies for both Marvel and DC without causing a tear in the spacetime continuum, more MCU directors should make the leap to the DCEU. After cameoing as Ratcatcher’s dad in The Suicide Squad, Taika Waititi could take over the director’s chair for the next installment.
The fun and humor that Waititi brought to Thor: Ragnarok has been compared to the Guardians franchise. Waititi even assembled his own ragtag superhero team, the Revengers. His darkly comedic style would fit the Suicide Squad franchise like a glove.
Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Since getting their start as screenwriters on movies like Superbad and Pineapple Express and watching filmmakers like David Gordon Green turn their words into movies, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have tried their hand at directing their own material with the apocalyptic comedy This is the End.
Rogen and Goldberg currently serve as executive producers on both The Boys and Invincible, so they’ve proven their ability to tell dark, grisly, subversive, blood-soaked superhero stories with a healthy dose of pitch-black humor. If they applied what they have learned there, they would be perfect for the Suicide Squad 3.
Patty Jenkins
With a third Wonder Woman movie, a Star Wars movie, and a remake of Cleopatra all on the horizon, Patty Jenkins is probably too busy to take on Suicide Squad 3. But Warner Bros. is probably in no hurry to follow up a movie that’s been labeled a box office disappointment, so they could wait for her schedule to clear up.
The Suicide Squad movies have a very different tone than the Wonder Woman movies, but that doesn't mean that Jenkins wouldn't be up for the job since she has taken on some dark and gritty material before (as seen by Monster). Jenkins could do a fascinating job with DC’s own murderous misfits in Suicide Squad 3.
Quentin Tarantino
If Quentin Tarantino sticks to his plan to retire after 10 movies, then he’s only got one left to go and it’s unlikely that he’ll choose Suicide Squad 3 as his final film. However, he is a noted comic book fan as he seems to include several references in his own films. There’s a Silver Surfer poster in Mr. Orange’s apartment in Reservoir Dogs, Bill has a big speech about superheroes’ alter egos in Kill Bill: Volume 2, and Tarantino once developed a Luke Cage movie with Laurence Fishburne.
All of Tarantino’s hallmarks – gripping antiheroes, dark humor, cartoonish violence, awesome soundtracks, captivating dialogue – would be perfect for the Suicide Squad franchise.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay, one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, is primarily known for directing sobering dramas like Selma. But she told The Guardian that she’d love to get into action movies: “I don’t get offered a lot... I’m not getting John Wick 3, even though I’d love to make it.”
DuVernay’s DCEU project New Gods was recently shelved by Warner Bros., but that doesn't mean the studio wouldn't offer her Suicide Squad 3 or allow her to collaborate on the project. With DuVernay meant to be adapting the DC Comic Naomi (according to Hollywood Reporter), the executives could be waiting to see how the public responds to that before giving the green light.
David Leitch
The difficulty of picking a director for a Suicide Squad movie is that they need to be able to do both action and comedy. Suicide Squad 3 needs both kinetic set pieces that draw the audience to the edge of their seats and hysterical gags that have the audience in hysterics.
After honing his skills as an action director on John Wick and Atomic Blonde, David Leitch began incorporating humor into that action with Deadpool 2 and Hobbs & Shaw. He could then take all of these skills and apply them to the newest DC project.
Lynne Ramsay
Lynne Ramsay has been one of the most acclaimed directors in the world since the release of her heartbreaking but brilliant debut movie – which, interestingly enough, was called Ratcatcher. James Gunn brought some thematic substance to The Suicide Squad in the symbolism of rats and people’s expectations of them, but Ramsay could take those themes further if she’s willing to do a comic book movie.
In her understated hitman thriller You Were Never Really Here, Ramsay took a deep dive into the psychology of a realistic take on a mercenary like Bloodsport or Peacemaker. She could match the darkness of The Suicide Squad, but dig even deeper into the characters.
Robert Rodriguez
After helming such beloved cult classics as From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City, and the El Mariachi trilogy, Robert Rodriguez has defined a filmmaking style that combines dark subject matter with an overwhelming sense of fun. This style would be ideal for a Suicide Squad movie.
His Mandalorian episode, “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” which featured Boba Fett’s widely celebrated return to action, proved he can give fans of sci-fi properties what they want and then some. Rodriguez’s rogues’ gallery of antiheroes, from Machete to Seth Gecko, wouldn’t be out of place in Task Force X.
Nia DaCosta
In addition to healthy doses of action and comedy, The Suicide Squad had an injection of gruesome horror courtesy of a Troma-educated James Gunn. Nia DaCosta proved in her recent Candyman reboot that she has a sharp instinct for which horrific violence to keep in the frame and what to leave to the audience’s imagination.
She was recently hired to direct The Marvels for the MCU. When she’s done bringing one super-team to the big screen with a PG-13 rating, she could do the same for DC with an R-rating.
Kevin Smith
For the most part, Kevin Smith has only made low-budget, small-scale comedies about New Jerseyans insulting each other and bickering about pop culture. However, the characters insulting each other and bickering about pop culture was the best part of The Suicide Squad.
Smith has been quietly rounding out his résumé with superhero action, directing episodes of shows like Supergirl and The Flash. A Smith-helmed Suicide Squad movie would have an even more hard-R comedic sensibility than the Gunn-helmed one. Plus, it would be great to see Jay and Silent Bob fighting alongside Harley Quinn and Bloodsport.