The ongoing pandemic has affected several projects in Hollywood, delaying the release of many films and television series. However, director James Gunn got lucky because his The Suicide Squad will be premiering on its initially decided release date of August 6. But, that doesn’t mean that they escaped the restrictions created due to COVID-19 entirely.
The effort put in the behind-the-scenes process was twofold, with the various pandemic-related lockdowns restricting the movement of the crew. It turns out that all the post-production and editing of The Suicide Squad had to be conducted from home. Gunn, along with other editors Fred Raskin and Chris Wagner, joined the majority of the workforce around the world and worked from home to ensure that the deadlines were met.
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On the day of the film’s U.S. premiere, Gunn tweeted to share his excitement about the movie’s release while revealing that the “movie was edited entirely from” home. In spring of this year, Gunn had revealed that before the lockdowns were announced, Warner Bros. had the foresight to set up an entire team to edit the Suicide Squad reel from their homes. At the time, it wasn’t confirmed whether it was a temporary setup or if the crew would be returning to the studio to wrap up the film. However, it is now known that all of The Suicide Squad was successfully edited from home.
The restrictions caused by the pandemic did not end there. Test screenings of movies and film festivals have been canceled or postponed for now, in order to ensure the safety of cinemagoers. The U.S. premiere on Monday was the first time that Gunn was able to watch The Suicide Squad with a regular theater audience. He referred to the event as a “lifetime high point” and expressed his excitement about being able to watch the film “on a big screen surrounded by friends and family.” Early reviews are already praising The Suicide Squad, with critics raving about Gunn's take on the team of misfits who are out to save the world.
The premiere was also special for Gunn as it happened to coincide with the release of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, which premiered on August 1, 2014. With Gunn having worked with both Marvel and DC, it is natural for fans to compare the two projects. However, Gunn has made it quite clear that it would be unfair to do that because the two films are entirely different from each other.
Gunn is currently working on the post-production of the HBO Max spin-off series titled Peacemaker, which wrapped filming just last month. The series will focus on John Cena’s character from The Suicide Squad. Cena has been taking his role very seriously, even showing up to several interviews and the premiere of the film in his Peacemaker costume. The series is expected to premiere in January 2022 and promises even more entertainment than The Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max.
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Source: James Gunn/Instagram
