[Update: We’ve been informed that in factCharles Rovenis remaining onboardSuicide Squad 2as the lead producer, andMichaelDe Lucais joining him. Our updated story follows below.]
In a sign that things are changing with regards to Warner Bros.’ approach to its DC films,Suicide Squad 2now has a new producer. PerVariety, Oscar-nominatedThe Social NetworkandMoneyballproducerMichael De Lucahas signed on to produce the sequel, which hasThe AccountantandWarriorfilmmakerGavin O’Connorwriting and directing.
Now this may not seem like a big deal, but it kind of is. This signals that instead of having one or two people produce all the DC movies, Warner Bros. may be hiring key personnel to bring their specific talents to specific projects.Batman v Superman,Suicide Squad,Justice League, andWonder Womanall boasted three key producers:Zack Snyder,Deborah Snyder, andCharles Roven. These movies also had other producers who had a hand in their making to be sure, especially onWonder Woman, but by many accounts this trio kind of oversaw the day-to-day production of all the DC films.
Now, in this new phase for the DCEU, it looks like that’s changing. While Roven remains the lead producer onSuicide Squad 2, none of these three have been officially announced as producers onShazam!, which is the next DC movie to go into production, and while the Snyders are listed as executive producers onAquaman, that film’s primary producer isPeter Safran, who produced theConjuringandAnnabellefilms with directorJames Wan.
Geoff JohnsandJon Berghad been installed to oversee the DCEU as a whole shortly afterBatman v Supermanhit theaters, but we learned earlier this month that Berg was stepping away from the DC films, Johns was moving to an advisory role, andWalter Hamada—who oversaw New Line’s development, production, and release of key hits likeITand theAnnabellemovies—had been tapped as the new executivein charge of overseeing DC Films production.
So while Hamada oversees the larger picture, it appears WB may tap individual producers to ensure that the specific productions run smoothly and aren’t as concerned with interconnectivity. In the case ofSuicide Squad 2, in addition to Roven—who also producedChristopher Nolan’s Batman films—De Luca will be helping to spearhead the production.
De Luca is an interesting choice forSuicide Squad 2as his recent output has been films likeCaptain PhillipsandInferno, but he previously served as President of Production at New Line in the 1990s and oversaw films likeBoogie Nights,Rush Hour, andBlade. Most recently he helped secure the rights to theFifty Shades of Greyfranchise and has been spearheading that as a producer alongside hisSocial NetworkpartnerDana Brunetti.
Suicide Squad 2is a priority for Warner Bros. and the studio reportedly hopes to begin filming this fall, making it one of two DC projects to get in front of cameras this year alongsideShazam!. Securing an additional new producer is a key part of getting this ball rolling, and if everything falls into place we just may seeSuicide Squad 2in theaters in the next year or two.
