James Gunn is ready for a comeback. The former Guardians of the Galaxy director who was fired by Disney for years old tweets that were unearthed by an ultra-conservative group has found a new gig at Warner Bros.

Gunn will now be writing a script for a Suicide Squad film. That’s right, according to new reports, this won’t be a sequel but rather a new take on the ensemble of criminals looking for shorter prison sentences. More on the report below.

Per THR (via The Wrap), Gunn is close to signing a deal with Warner Bros. to write a script. While no directing deal is in place, there may be a chance for him to move into that position. It just depends on the outcome of the scripting process.

The news comes on the heels of Gunn’s firing from Disney, after ultra-conversations brought back years old tweets where Gunn joked about pedophilia. While the jokes were in poor taste and made to shock, Gunn, as a person, has changed since he made those tweets.

It was only after he was fired that the cast and crew of Guardians of the Galaxy came out to support their director and called for him to be reinstated. However, that never happened as Disney chose to stand by their decision. And now, the production of Vol. 3 is stalled. It’s still unclear whether or not Disney will use his script, which was reportedly completed before the firing. Certainly, Gunn’s new gig at WB would push production on Vol. 3 back even further.

Another thing that needs to be addressed is that this Suicide Squad will not be the sequel to David Ayer’s 2016 film that’s been in the works. Instead, Gunn’s script will reportedly have a new take on the group of criminals. Here’s what THR’s Borys Kit had to say in a tweet:

Being told that Gunn's SUICIDE SQUAD will not be a sequel, he will have a whole new take on it. But whether that means a total recasting or not is unclear.

— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) October 9, 2018

This would be an interesting new direction for the franchise. It was previously reported that Gavin O’Connor would be directing a sequel when Ayer, the film’s original director, moved onto Gotham City Sirens – a project that is said to still be in development. Other directors that were attached to the sequel are Mel Gibson, David Goyer, and Jaume Collet-Serra.

The first Suicide Squad starred Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.

WB is said to have been one of the first major studios looking to bring Gunn into the fold after he was fired earlier this year. Studios said that they would “work with him in a heartbeat.” High praise for a director who was fired just as fast.

Whether or not Gunn does direct, the fact that this Suicide Squad will be a new take on the franchise signals the changes that are happening for the DCEU. After a disastrous number of films, Gunn could be just the thing to shift WB’s superhero franchise in a new direction.

Either way, Gunn’s script would likely be an overall improvement over the first Suicide Squad. And with no word on if any of the cast members will return to reprise their roles, many of us will just have to keep watch as the story continues to develop.

[Source: THR via The Wrap]