Warner Bros. and DC FIlms' long hunt for a Suicide Squad director may be over. The Accountant and Warrior director Gavin O'Connor has been recruited to write the script for the upcoming superhero sequel and is also in talks to direct. The next DC film on the shooting schedule is David F. Sandberg's live-action Shazam! and Suicide Squad 2 isn't expected to head into production until fall 2018 at the earliest, but per Variety, the studio was keen to get someone working on the script ASAP.

That's probably a wise idea considering how Suicide Squad's infamously rushed production cycle turned out and O'Connor is a natural choice for the gig considering he already has roots at the studio. Last year, he directed Ben Affleck in The Accountant at Warner Bros. and the studio is already developing a sequel for which he and Affleck are expected to return.

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Image via Warner Bros.

O'Connor is set to land the gig after a rather exhaustive search for the right filmmaker to helm DC's anti-hero actioner follow-up. David Ayer directed the first film and it's been confirmed that he will not return for the sequel. In early days, Warner Bros. approached Mel Gibson for the gig before moving on to The Shallows helmer Juan Collet-Serra. When Collet-Serra opted to take on Disney's Jungle Cruise movie with Dwayne Johnson, the search continued. Other names previously in the mix were Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) and Daniel Espinosa (Life), who may resurface, as well as Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) who has since moved on to directing Venom for Sony.

Margot Robbie and Will Smith are expected to return as fan favorites Harley Quinn and Deadshot, but their busy schedules mean the production date is up in the air for the time being. Smith just kicked off filming Guy Ritchie's Aladdin and is set to head up the long, long, long develop sci-fi-fi Gemini Man for Ang Lee. Robbie is currently filming Mary Queen of Scots and is also in development on a separate DCEU vehicle for Harley Quinn, with both Gotham City Sirens and a Harley/Joker movie making the rumor rounds. She also has a number of other projects in the works as both an actress and producer.

It's clear that despite the critical beating Suicide Squad took, Warner Bros. is keen to get the wheels in motion on a sequel. How do you guys like O'Connor for the job? Sound off in the comments.

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Image via Warner Bros.
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Clay Enos/ & © DC Comics Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
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Clay Enos/ & © DC Comics Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures