James Gunn to write, may direct DC's 'Suicide Squad 2'

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- James Gunn has been tapped to write Warner Bros. and DC's Suicide Squad 2 with the possibility of directing the project after Disney fired the filmmaker from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Gunn, best known for helming the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, will be delivering a new take on the Suicide Squad, a group of villains tasked with taking on secret missions by the government in exchange for lighter prison sentences, The Wrap reported.

Suicide Squad, released in 2016 from writer and director David Ayer, featured an ensemble cast that included Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as The Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. The film grossed $746 million worldwide.

Gavin O'Connor was originally attached to helm Suicide Squad 2, but will now be directing drama Torrance starring Ben Affleck, Deadline reported.

Gunn was fired from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in July after a number of offensive tweets he posted from 2008 to 2009 resurfaced. The tweets, which featured Gunn joking about pedophilia and sexual assault, made the rounds online after they were highlighted by conservative blogs.

The cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff and Gunn's brother Sean Gunn, posted on social media an open letter in support of Gunn.

"I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don't anymore. I don't blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all," Gunn previously said on Twitter when addressing his firing.

Bautista, who has continued to support Gunn on social media, expressed interest in Suicide Squad 2 on Twitter Tuesday. "Where do I sign up!" he said alongside an article about Gunn joining the film.