Though Mel Gibson was initially in talks to helm Suicide Squad 2, Warner Bros. appears to have gone in different direction. Now, Deadline is reporting that The Shallows and Orpha director Jaume Collet-Serra has emerged as the frontrunner to direct Suicide Squad 2.

Collet-Serra is coming off the Blake Lively-starrer The Shallows, which wasn't a critical darling but did prove to be a box office success. Produced on a $17 million budget, the film went on to gross an impressive $119.1 million worldwide. He has been rumored to be in the running for Suicide Squad 2 since March, when his name was added to a growing list of candidates.

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Seeing as David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, Krypton) and Mel Gibson were rumored to direct Suicide Squad 2, Collet-Serra seems like an unusual pick for the studio, which has typically gone for big name directors with proven track records: Matt Reeves (The Batman), Joss Whedon (Batgirl) and James Wan (Aquaman).

Although David Ayer's Suicide Squad was slammed by both critics and fans alike, the film did go on to make $745 million worldwide, with an impressive $325 million alone stateside. Now that Ayer is working on Gotham City Sirens, the sequel will be written by The Legend of Tarzan screenwriter Adam Cozad.

Suicide Squad 2 does yet not have an official release date.