Mel Gibson Sought to Direct 'Suicide Squard 2' After 'Hacksaw Ridge' Success
Following the success of "Hacksaw Ridge," Warner Brothers studios is pursuing Mel Gibson to direct the sequel to "Suicide Squad."
Warner Bros., according to Hollywood Reporter, is after the Academy Award-winning actor and director to spearhead, "Suicide Squad 2." Gibson, however, hasn't made any commitment.
Gibson's newfound favor comes after he nabbed six Oscar nominations for the film which is based on World War II hero Desmond Doss who served in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle in the Pacific and miraculously saved 75 men without firing a shot.
Since the 2004 release of "Passion of the Christ," Gibson has been working on his own film projects. He lost favor with Hollywood and also found himself losing studio work after hurling anti-Semitic comments at police during a drunk driving arrest.
Shane Black, director of one of Gibson's most legendary films, "Lethal Weapon," confirmed that the talented 61 year old had in fact been "blacklisted."
"I think he's essentially been blacklisted in the industry," Black told Business Insider in 2015. "I think people don't want to work with him."
But now, 10 years after Gibson's DUI charges on the Pacific Coast Highway in California, things are looking up following the success of the inspirational film, "Hacksaw Ridge."
The film received an Academy Award-nomination for best director, and has made $164 million worldwide to date.
Although there is a new offer on the table, Gibson hasn't commented on whether or not he will direct "Suicide Squard 2." Reports say that Gibson is becoming familiar with the material but the studio is also looking into other directors.
"Suicide Squad" follows a "secret government agency led by Amanda Waller who recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions and save the world from a powerful threat in exchange for leaner sentences" the synopsis reads.
Part one was directed by David Ayer and the movie featured Will Smith, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney and Jay Hernandez.
Gibson, a professing Catholic, has gained a Christian following because of "Hacksaw" and "The Passion," but some conservative Christians might not take well to Gibson taking on this directorial opportunity.
Popular Christian outlet Crosswalk slammed "Suicide Squad" for glorifying "demonic activity" and pegged the movie, "anything but heroic."