We haven’t even seen James Gunn’s new DC movie The Suicide Squad yet and already he’s hard at work on a TV spinoff – and it looks like a ton of fun. Peacemaker, starring John Cena, is currently in production in Vancouver and is intended to premiere exclusively on HBO Max as a spinoff of Gunn’s Suicide Squad movie. That film is a sequel of sorts to David Ayer’s 2016 DC film Suicide Squad, although Gunn has stated firmly that fans need not have seen the Ayer version to appreciate and understand The Suicide Squad.

Indeed, Gunn signed on to write and direct this new DC movie when he was briefly fired from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (he’s back on it now and filming begins later this year), and when given the pick of any DC movie he could make, he chose The Suicide Squad. The film is described as being inspired by 70s war movies like The Dirty Dozen and features both returning and new characters, the latter of which include Cena’s Peacemaker.

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The Suicide Squad Cast
Image via Warner Bros.

When Gunn wrapped The Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. asked him if he had any ideas for a TV spinoff as the studio wants to create more content for its streaming service HBO Max. Gunn chose the Peacemaker character, wrote all the scripts, and is directing at least the first few episodes. He won’t confirm when Peacemaker takes place – if it’s a prequel or a sequel to his movie – but an R-rated James Gunn TV show sounds incredibly exciting.

And as filming is underway, Gunn is sharing a new look at the cast of characters. We see Cena as Peacemaker, a ruthless killer who believes in achieving peace through violence, but there’s also Steve Agee as John Economos and Jennifer Holland as NSA agent Emilia Harcourt, two characters we’ll see in The Suicide Squad. As for new characters, there’s Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Chris Conrad as The Vigilante, and Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn. Not pictured here is Robert Patrick, who plays Auggie Smith in the series.

The Peacemaker cast looks to be having a ton of fun, and the eight-episode series should serve as a great dessert of sorts after the meal that is The Suicide Squad. The HBO Max series will debut in January 2022, while The Suicide Squad is scheduled to be released in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6, 2021.

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