Last year, the world was introduced to James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad.” The film might not have had a huge box office, due to a variety of reasons, but fans and critics seemed to really enjoy what the filmmaker brought to the DCEU franchise. Now, not even six months later, he’s ready to keep it going with his first HBO Max series, “Peacemaker,” a spinoff of the aforementioned superhero film. But is “Peacemaker” worthy of an 8-episode series? In this episode of The Playlist Podcast, that question is answered, and the conclusion might surprise you.
Written and mostly directed by Gunn, “Peacemaker” is a spinoff of the filmmaker’s 2021 film, “The Suicide Squad.” This time, instead of focusing on a group of C-list superhero misfits trying to save the world using whatever means necessary, the new TV series focuses…well, on a group of C-list superhero misfits trying to save the world using whatever means necessary, but led by Peacemaker. So, you see, it’s totally different. And this is not to be confused by James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which is about a bunch of C-list superhero misfits trying to save the galaxy…but they don’t kill or swear nearly as much. So again, completely different.
Kidding aside, the series brings back John Cena in the lead role and gives him a supporting cast to bounce off of in Gunn’s attempt to find redemption in the character who could best be described as a villain in the previous film. The series also stars Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, and Chukwudi Iwuji.
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“Peacemaker” begins its run on HBO Max today. You can hear our full discussion about the series below:
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