What Does Suicide Squad Director David Ayer Think of James Gunn's Rebooted Sequel?

David Ayer is out and James Gunn is in when it comes to continuing the story of the 2016 movieSuicide Squad, but Ayer appears to be handling the situation with class. Following the underperforming reception of the original movie, Warner Bros. opted to take the DCEU in a new creative direction.

Ayer has since officially commented onThe Suicide Squadin response to a tweet from a fan on Twitter, making it clear he harbors no negative feelings about it. “[Ayer] did an incredible version and it’s now time for Gunn to shin. Please don’t attack any of these parties, as all they are doing their good, and they’re doing it in style too,” the fan wrote on Twitter. Here’s what Ayer said in response.

“Exactly! DC is blessed to have James Gunn. I’m getting my popcorn ready.”

Written and directed byDavid Ayer,Suicide Squadwas released in 2016. Set in the DCEU and sharing a universe with movies likeBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandJustice League, the movie followed the titular team of supervillains recruited to save the world in exchange for significant reductions of their sentences. Its cast included Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as The Joker, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.

Suicide Squadmade a lot of money at thebox office, grossing over $746 million in ticket sales. Still, it was met with mostly negative reviews from critics, holding a paltry 27% rotten rating. Criticized for its “muddled plot, thinly written characters, and choppy directing,“Suicide Squadleft the studio in a bit of a tough spot. Its high ticket sales do show the potential for huge profits to be made with the franchise, but taking it in a different direction with a new filmmaker’s vision may help a sequel’s chances to fare better critically. Given his track record at Marvel with theGuardians of the Galaxymovies, it’s easy to see why Warner Bros. signed Gunn to take the keys to the series.

James Gunn’s involvement with The Suicide Squadcame about as the result of his controversial firing from Marvel Studios andDisney. Although Gunn was set to begin production onGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he was booted from the project when years-old offensive jokes he had made on his Twitter account had resurfaced. After the controversy died down, Disney and Gunn wound up sorting things out, and Gunn is back on board for the thirdGuardiansmovie. However, as he has since committed toThe Suicide Squad, it could be a very long time before we see Gunn’s return to Marvel happen.

The Suicide Squadis slated to premiere in theaters on Jun 26, 2025. We’ll see how the movie ultimately does at the box office when it’s released, but one person we can expect to see in the audience is the director of the first movie. Ayer’s comments about Gunn’s follow-up come to us fromDavid Ayer on Twitter.