Could a Western movie be in the cards for James Gunn? Early next month, Gunn’s newest movieThe Suicide Squadwill be simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max. Later this year, Gunn will make the switch back to Marvel Studios from DC films to begin production onGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3along with a holiday special for Disney+. Admittedly getting a little bored of the superhero movie genre, Gunn teased the possibility of doing a Western.
In a recent interview with The Irish Times,James Gunnspoke aboutThe Suicide Squadand the current state of superhero movies. Gunn fears that despite how popular these kinds of movies are now, it’s just a matter of time before people grow tired of them and the genre tapers off. As explained in the interview, theGuardians of the GalaxyandThe Suicide Squaddirector points to what happened with cowboy movies and war movies as what could be next for comic book movies.
“We know about the way cowboy films went, and the way war films went. I don’t know, I think you don’t have to be a genius to put two and two together and see that there’s a cycle to those sorts of films, you know and that the only hope for the future of the comic book and superhero films is tochange them up. They’re really dumb. And they’re mostly boring for me right now.”
While Western movies are not as popular with general audiences as they used to be, Gunn is personally a fan of the genre. In fact, he’s even hoping to make a Western himself at some point in his career, even if cowboy movies aren’t what’s “in” in 2021. Taking to Twitter to expand upon his comments about cowboy movies, Gunn admitted that he still hopes to direct a Western, and he’d be just as willing to bring back the cast ofThe Suicide Squadfor the project.
“Despite all this I still really want to do a Western. And I’d happily use the entire cast ofThe Suicide Squadagain.
Written and directed by Gunn,The Suicide Squadbrings back many characters from David Ayer’s 2016 movie, including Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Newcomers to the cast include Idris Elba as Bloodsport,John Cena as Peacemaker, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher II, Sylvester Stallone as King Shark, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Michael Rooker as Savant, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, and Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., among many more.
The Suicide Squadwill be released in theaters and on HBO Max on Jul 18, 2025. There’s no word yet on if and when Gunn will develop a Western movie, but if it only contained just a small handful of the cast members listed above, it would certainly be worth checking out. As Gunn sayshe’s probably done with MarvelafterGuardians of the GalaxyVol. 3, maybe a Western with Robbie, Elba, and Cena could be next. you may read the full interview with Gunn atThe Irish Times.
