7 Sep – The search is finally over! With Mel Gibson being the frontrunner early in the year and intended director Jaume Collet-Serra forgoing the squad for Disney's "Jungle Cruise", it seems that a new director has finally been found. Warner Bros. has settled for "The Accountant" helmer Gavin O'Connor to take on "Suicide Squad 2", as revealed by Deadline. Following news of David Ayer, who directed the first film, exiting the sequel's production, the studio has gone on an endless search for the right helmer – that is until O'Connor came in and pitched his vision of the movie. This had landed him in final talks to write and direct the sequel, which will feature its previous cast: Margot Robbie, Will Smith, and Jared Leto, to name a few. Despite the first film not being a favourite among the fandom, it was a big enough financial hit, grossing over USD745 million worldwide, leaving the studio no doubt for future instalments. With experiences in mixing emotion and muscular action in films, such as in the underrated "Miracle" and Tom Hardy-starrer "Warrior", it seems that choosing O'Connor would be a no-brainer, not after his success with the studio's "The Accountant", which earned USD86 million in the States alone. Warner Bros. has also greenlighted the sequel of the Ben Affleck-starrer, which O'Connor is still attached to direct. It remained unclear as to when the "Suicide Squad" follow-up will begin shooting, with Will Smith currently filming "Aladdin" and is set for Ang Lee's "Gemini Man" next, while Robbie is busy with the filming of "Mary, Queen of Scots".