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OFFICIAL PREMIERE FOR THE SUICIDE SQUAD, FEATURING JOHN CENA, TONIGHT; FILM OPENS THIS WEEK THEATRICALLY & ON HBO MAX

The Suicide Squad, featuring WWE's John Cena as Peacemaker, will have its official premiere in the United States tonight.

Director James Gunn took to Instagram to write about the premiere:

"Tonight is the US Premiere of #TheSuicideSquad. This premiere is more exciting for me than most as I have never seen the film live on a big screen with an audience. Due to the hardships of the last year and a half, this movie was edited entirely from the homes of me and my editors Fred Raskin and Chris Wagner. Normally by this time I would have sat through the film with an audience half a dozen times at least, in test screenings and film festivals and premieres in other countries. But no this time the Premiere is truly the premiere for me as well and I can’t wait to see it surrounded by my friends and family and cast and crew that worked so hard on it."

The film's official theatrical release kicks off on Thursday 8/5.  It will begin streaming on HBO Max this week as well.

The film was originally slated for a August 6, 2021 release but has been moved up a day to be released on the birthday of Director James Gunn.  It is the second Squad film, based on the DC Comics series with the premise being the United States government is forcing incarcerated super-villains to go on suicide missions under threat of death.   

John Cena's interation of Peacemaker will be the first ever live action incarnation of the character, a soldier and super-hero who loves peace so much he is willing to kill for it.  The character was originally created by Charlton Comics but acquired by DC in the mid-80s.    In promotional material for the film, Cena has described this take on Peacemaker as a "douchey Captain America."

In September 2020, HBO Max ordered an eight-episode first season for the series as a spinoff for the forthcoming Suicide Squad film starring Cena with James Gunn, the writer and director of Squad and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy returning to write and direct the series.  The series will explore Peacemaker's background before the Suicide Squad film.  That series will debut this December on the streaming service.

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