James Gunn says Peacemaker’s helmet was a nightmare to film during The Suicide Squad and his subsequent Peacemaker series on HBO Max. Gunn recently made the announcement on Twitter that The Suicide Squad is finished, including VFX, ahead of its release in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th. John Cena's Peacemaker will be one of many new characters introduced in Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which is being described as a "soft reboot" of David Ayer's Suicide Squad from 2016. Other new characters include Idris Elba's Bloodsport, Sylvester Stallone's King Shark, Michael Rooker's Savant, Pete Davidson's Blackguard, and Peter Capaldi as The Thinker.
Peacemaker received his own solo series before fans even had the chance to see him The Suicide Squad, seemingly in anticipation that the character will be a hit. Given the star power Cena packs, it is likely he will. Peacemaker is a pacifist who is willing to kill without discretion to achieve peace. Cena says he was directed by Gunn to play Peacemaker "like a douchey Captain America,” which certainly sounds like an interesting character with comedic flavor.
James Gunn is known for responding to fan inquiries on Twitter and most recently, he addressed the challenge of filming scenes with Peacemaker, who often wears a shiny and reflective stainless steel helmet. In response to a tweet asking if filming Peacemaker's helmet presented any issues, Gunn called it "a damn mirror ball" and said the entire crew needed to be removed every time the helmet was used. Read the user's question and Gunn's full response below:
Gunn went on to respond to several follow-up questions fans had regarding the challenge of filming Peacemaker's reflective helmet. One tweet asked why a greenscreen was not used for his helmet, which Gunn says would have been more difficult and would not have looked as good as practical effects. On that same note, another fan asked why they did not use virtual sets similar to those innovated by The Mandolorian, to which Gunn replied, "We built almost all of our sets practically. But that wouldn't be the problem anyway - the problem in the reflections is seeing the camera and crew."
It is really refreshing to see a director engage with fans on Twitter, sharing trade secrets and behind-the-scenes tidbits. Especially since this is likely an incredibly busy time for Gunn, as his schedule for this year includes filming the Peacemaker series, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. However, he can rest easy knowing all the work on the production of The Suicide Squad is done.
Source: James Gunn
