James Gunn celebrates wrapping 'The Suicide Squad' with massive group photo

James Gunn has taken to Instagram to celebrate the conclusion of filming on The Suicide Squad, positing a huge celebratory image of the cast and crew of the film, too.

At the same time, Gunn also took this moment to share a heartfelt message explaining why working on the movie was one of the most emotional experiences of his professional life, as his father died just two weeks before production was due to begin.

Gunn started the post by writing, “And that’s a wrap on The Suicide Squad,” before he then added, “My father died two weeks before we started filming and my dog died two weeks before the end.”

But clearly working on The Suicide Squad brought some comfort to the filmmaker, as he admitted, “It was a hard, hard time in my life and yet the most fulfilling time I’ve ever had making a movie. The professionalism, talent, compassion and kindness of this cast and crew inspired me every day.”

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“Thanks to everyone involved in this film, in every stage of development, in every department - I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for you all. You are why I make movies.”

You can check out the full Instagram post below.

No doubt Gunn will have to return for additional filming on The Suicide Squad at some point in the near future, as that has become a tried and tested part of the filmmaking process on blockbusters of this size. But at least the above photo shows that he’ll be surrounded by a close set of chums when he returns.

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You can check out the full ensemble of actors who Gunn has collaborated on with The Suicide Squad by taking a look at his tweet from back in September.

The Suicide Squad will be released on August 6, 2021.