David Ayer praised Warner Bros. as 'incredibly brave and smart' to hire James Gunn to write and possibly direct "Suicide Squad 2."

Ayer wrote and directed the first film, which made $746.8 million worldwide and actually picked up an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Critics ripped the film, and Ayer later said he wished he had done some things differently -- including making Jared Leto's Joker the main villain, and engineering "a more grounded story."

When it came time for DC/WB to decide on a sequel, they hired Gavin O'Connor for the job. But Variety's Justin Kroll recently said O'Connor pitched a script that's similar to the "Birds of Prey" movie, so he stepped away to focus on his next project.

DC/WB confirmed that James Gunn was hired to write the sequel, releasing a statement via the DC Daily webseries (via ComicBook):

"It’s official that we have got a new member of the DC family: acclaimed writer/director James Gunn has been attached to write Suicide Squad 2,” said host Tiffany Smith. “Gunn is poised to bring a completely fresh take to the franchise after the first film was written and directed by David Ayer."

Someone asked David Ayer what he thought about DC/WB hiring James Gunn -- who was famously fired by Disney for old offensive tweets, after writing three and directing two "Guardians of the Galaxy" films for Marvel Studios.

Ayer is a fan of the hire:

If you think he was being sarcastic -- or throwing shade -- he wasn't:

Now that we know James Gunn is officially on board for "Suicide Squad 2" -- at least as screenwriter -- stay tuned for more details as it plays out. Meanwhile, Ayer has a couple projects of his own lined up, including "Tax Collector" and "Bright 2."

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