The man who brought the Mystery Machine to the big screen is apparently working on something mysterious for DC. James Gunn, director of The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy (as well as, yes, screenwriter of the live-action Scooby-Doo film) is gearing up for a mystery DC movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
According to the trade, Gunn is “angling for his own new DC project (or two)“ and that he, along with producer Peter Safran (Shazam, Aquaman), are “in talks with Warners for a mystery movie, possibly more.” All of which is maddeningly vague but comes with the caveat that whatever the project is, Gunn would finish Peacemaker season 2 first.
Gunn’s trajectory through the superhero genre has been nothing short of iconic. After making an excellent indie film on the subject, Super, he exploded into the mainstream with Guardians of the Galaxy, a film few fans could have predicted would be so good or successful. He quickly jumped into the sequel but, after some of his old tweets resurfaced, Marvel fired him from the next film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is when he took his talents to DC and rebooted The Suicide Squad. That film was such a success it got its own equally awesome and irreverent HBO Max spinoff, Peacemaker. Eventually, Marvel recanted and brought him back to finish his Guardians trilogy. That film comes out May 5, 2023.
And now, according to this report, the director will then bounce back to DC. But is it for one movie? Is it two? Is it Suicide Squad-related? Does he want to tackle something bigger like Superman or a Batman villain? So far, Gunn himself isn’t saying, but his track record has more than made it obvious whatever he’s got up his sleeve, it’s worth getting excited about.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.