James Gunn Hopes The Suicide Squad Inspires More Pet Rats

The Suicide Squad director James Gunn hopes the upcoming DC film inspires more pet rats. On [...]

By Nicole Drum

The Suicide Squad director James Gunn hopes the upcoming DC film inspires more pet rats. On Twitter, a fan noted the rat standing on Ratcatcher 2's (Daniela Melchior) shoulder in an image from the film. Gunn explained that the rat is actually Ratcatcher 2's pet, Sebastian and that he's not only dressed for the mission but was played by two real rats -- Jaws and Crips Ratt -- and when another fan noted the finer qualities of rats that often surprise people Gunn shared his own history of having rats as pets as well as his hope that the film would encourage others to make the small animals pets as well.

"I had many pet rats growing up," Gunn wrote. "They are much more intelligent and affectionate than gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, and other small animals. I'm not a proponent of raccoons being pets, which we sadly popularized with [Guardians of the Galaxy]. But I'll be happy if The Suicide Squad inspires more pet rats."

Gunn is well-known for his love of animals. The filmmaker regularly shares photos of his own pets on social media and production on The Suicide Squad actually shut down in Panama last year so that Gunn could go home to say goodbye to his beloved dog, Dr. Wesley Von Spears, allowing him to be there when his beloved pet passed. Gunn has also shared other animals on his social media as well, including a kitten that the cast and crew of The Suicide Squad rescued while filming. Last March, Gunn shared a photo of David Dastmalchian with his cat, Bubblegum who had been rescued as a stray from the film's set.

"Another rescue from #ColonPanama - I present #TheSuicideSquad member @dastmalchian with Bubblegum. Bubblegum was a very friendly eight-month-old kitten who cozied up to the crew members first thing in the morning, especially our video-assist guy Porkchop, who ended up carrying her around for half the day. With the help of @fundacionrescatistaskc3 we were able to get her to the States and into the loving arms of Dave and his family. Happy #Caturday! ❤️😻❤️ #cat #cats #catsofinstagram" wrote in his caption at the time.

You can check out the official synopsis for The Suicide Squad below.

"Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Bell Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out — even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today's do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin, and everyone's favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese."

The Suicide Squad will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, August 6th. Peacemaker is expected to debut on HBO Max in 2022.

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