Director James Gunn is really running with the R-Rated side of the DCEU, despite the underwhelming showing of “The Suicide Squad” ($167.4 million worldwide, which seems low for a superhero movie even during COVID times, especially when comparing day and date PVOD comic book movies like “Black Widow” which did twice that figure). Taking the offensive, vulgar side of “The Suicide Squad” to its logical next conclusion, Gunn’s next project is the HBO Max spin-off series, “Peacemaker” starring John Cena, reprising his role from the aforementioned Task Force X film.
While there are a ton of DC TV shows out there, see the Arrowverse from The CW, “Peacemaker” is the first of its kind: a DC TV series that is in direct continuity with its DCEU big-screen counterpart. Following Marvel’s model, as usual, it’s the first of many series to come that will weave connected TV narratives from their cinematic antecedents. Here’s the official synopsis, but the gist is, taking the Peacemaker character from “The Suicide Squad” and totally giving him the spotlight to shine.
PEACEMAKER will explore the origins of the character that John Cena first portrayed in James Gunn’s 2021 film, “The Suicide Squad” – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it. Gunn wrote all eight episodes of PEACEMAKER and directed five, including the first. Gunn, Peter Safran, and Matt Miller serve as executive producers on the series, with Cena as co-executive producers. Based on characters from DC, PEACEMAKER is produced by Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The series stars John Cena as Peacemaker, Danielle Brooks as Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Harcourt, Steve Agee as Economos, Chukwudi Iwuji as Murn, and Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith.
“Peacemaker” is written and directed by James Gunn, and the DC series debuts Thursday, January 13. Watch the new red-band trailer below.