Anna Daniels
Countless movies and television shows were forced to shut down indefinitely last month as the coronavirus pandemic started to become a larger concern across the globe. That means movies that were in production and had previously set release dates towards the end of the year and even through 2021 may not meet their expected deadlines. But when it comes to two forthcoming comic book blockbusters, their timeline might not be impacted at all.
While stuck at home in quarantine, director James Gunn has been occasionally answering what questions he can about his forthcoming DC Comics movie The Suicide Squad and the anticipated Marvel Studios sequel Guardians of the Galaxy 3. And that recently included his confirmation that both movies are currently on track to be released on schedule, regardless of the delays happening with the rest of the motion picture world right now.
First up, with regards to The Suicide Squad, here’s what James Gunn had to say about the release:
Right now there’s no reason for #TheSuicideSquad release date to move. We are on or ahead of schedule. We were extremely fortunate to wrap shooting & set up editing from our homes (due to a post production team & studio with foresight) before quarantine. https://t.co/URRFXX58r3
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 12, 2020
Fortunately, movies in post-production are able to continue work on the film remotely. But that’s not so easy for movies that still had shooting to complete. Sure, they can work on cutting together what they already shot, but once they run out of footage, all they can do is sit and wait. So it’s good that The Suicide Squad wrapped up shooting just before the coronavirus pandemic really took a toll on Hollywood.
However, just because The Suicide Squad isn’t being delayed, doesn’t mean we’ll be getting a first look at the movie anytime soon. Gunn also addressed another fan on Twitter to say this:
I wish we were but, as you might imagine, although editing #TheSuicideSquad has been pretty smooth in the time of quarantine (I’m working on the cut right now), there are a lot of other factors slowed – some of those related to releasing images, trailers, etc. https://t.co/Mk64ax3fUu
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 12, 2020
So if you’re looking forward to a peek at The Suicide Squad, you’ll probably be waiting awhile, especially since it isn’t slated to arrive in theaters until August 6, 2021.
Even further out will be any glimpse of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, a movie that hasn’t even started pre-production yet. The good news is that the movie hasn’t been impacted by coronavirus at all, even with Marvel’s recent schedule shift due to the delay of Black Widow. James Gunn confirmed as much on Twitter:
Right now the plans with Vol 3 are also exactly the same as they were before coronavirus. https://t.co/cVHe31gtPQ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 12, 2020
However, the situation with the Marvel Studios sequel is a little different since an official release date hasn’t been set yet. The schedule for Marvel movies through 2022 is pretty well set, and with The Suicide Squad not slated to arrive until later summer of 2021, it’s likely that we won’t see the movie get a release until sometime in 2023.
Honestly, we’re just glad James Gunn is involved with Guardians of the Galaxy 3 at all, so whenever he gets around to shooting it, we’ll be happy to see it.
It should be noted that these reassurances from James Gunn aren’t guarantees that The Suicide Squad or Guardians of the Galaxy 3 won’t end up being delayed. Gunn himself said as much today:
Well, I didn’t really assure anything: that’s not completely my call, and who knows what the future will bring. I just said coronavirus hasn’t slowed either project down in any considerable manner and right now all the plans for both remain exactly the same as they were. https://t.co/Fdw81bE9gR
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 13, 2020
There are a lot of moving pieces that could change the release plan for these movies over the next two or three years. But for now, neither production has been effected at this time. Stay tuned.
Cool Posts From Around the Web: Written by: Slash
