When it was announced a few months ago that David Ayer would be directing and producing the Suicide Squad spin-off Gotham City Sirens starring Margot Robbie, it seemed unlikely that he would return to the director’s chair for Suicide Squad 2 as well. Now this week we have confirmation that Warner Brothers will be hiring someone else to take over the franchise and we’ve got our first look at the list of directors under consideration to do it. Most notably, and perhaps most surprisingly, Mel Gibson is one of the filmmakers that the studio has met with, providing further proof that his Hollywood comeback is complete. His WWII film Hacksaw Ridge is currently up for Best Picture at the Oscars this year and Gibson himself is also nominated for Best Director. The other directors on the Suicide Squad 2 shortlist are as follows:

• Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Gangster Squad)
• Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life)
• Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50)

Something tells me that pretty much all of these guys are more likely to end up landing the gig over Mel Gibson, although Gibson did at least confirm that he has met with the studio. Fleischer was in the running to direct Justice League once upon a time and Levine was previously on the shortlist for a couple of Marvel movies including Spider-Man: Homecoming. Mel Gibson will also be reteaming with Vince Vaughn on screen for a thriller called Dragged Across Concrete, to be written and directed by S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk). Who would you like to see direct Suicide Squad 2?