David Ayer, the director of End of Watch and the upcoming World War II tank film Fury, starring Brad Pitt, may be about to join the increasingly long list of directors with a comic book movie under their belt.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ayer is said to be "circling" Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment's Suicide Squad film, based on the ragtag group of comic book villains of the same name.
Talks about a Suicide Squad film have gone on for a while now. Justin Marks was previously attached to write the script for the project, but reports say Warner Bros. and DC put the project on hold while focusing on Justice League. Marks' previous work includes Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and the yet-to-be-released remake of The Jungle Book.
DC's Suicide Squad, also called Task Force X, is an always-changing roster of villains who are given a chance at redemption by the government in exchange for completing "suicidal" missions. Over the years villains like Bane, Deadshot, Captain Cold, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn and more have all called the Suicide Squad home. CW's Arrow TV show featured its own version of the Suicide Squad last season.
Suicide Squad definitely seems right up Ayer's alley, who is known for gritty action films. If the project does continue to move forward, it is likely the film will take up one of the "Untitled DC films" slots that Warner Bros. revealed last month, alongside films like Shazam and the probable Wonder Woman stand-alone film. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was recently cast as Shazam villain Black Adam for the upcoming film.
Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is being used as the building block for Justice League, with rumors swirling about other superheroes set to make cameo appearances in the film. As DC slowly but surely assembles its team of heroes for the Justice League, it looks like it may also be introducing villains as well. If done right, a team of the DC universe's worst villains being forced to cooperate and do "good" for a change definitely sounds like it could strike a chord with audiences.
