The Shallows filmmaker is frontrunner to direct Suicide Squad sequel

The Suicide Squad sequel may have found its director.

EW has learned that Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed the Blake Lively-starring shark blockbuster The Shallows, is the frontrunner to helm the sequel to last year’s DC Entertainment supervillain team-up.

Collet-Serra, who previously directed Run All Night, Non-Stop, and Unknown, is currently finishing up another Liam Neeson thriller — The Commuter.

David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch) directed the first Suicide Squad film, which featured an A-list lineup including Jared Leto (as The Joker), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), and Will Smith (Deadshot), among others. The movie earned more than $745 million worldwide in spite of lackluster reviews. Ayer later addressed the film’s negative critical reception, writing on Twitter that he “went for it” and “really tried to make something different, with a look and a voice of its own.”

“I know Squad has its flaws, Hell, the World knows it. Nothing hurts more than to pick up a newspaper and see a couple years of your blood, sweat and tears ripped to shreds,” Ayer wrote. “Would I do a lot of things different? Yep, for sure. Wish I had a time machine.”

News broke late last year that Ayer will re-team with Robbie for an all-female Suicide Squad spin-off based on the comic Gotham City Sirens. Ayer is also attached to direct Universal’s Scarface reboot.

Warner Bros. declined to comment. Deadline first reported Collet-Serra’s talks.