HBO Max will be the home of the first The Suicide Squad spinoff, and here's everything we know about the upcoming Peacemaker series. James Gunn has taken over the Suicide Squad franchise for the second installment. He is bringing some characters back from 2016's Suicide Squad, but his sequel/reboot will also introduce many other characters from the deep library of DC Comics. One such addition will be John Cena as Peacemaker.
Peacemaker has a history in comics going all the way back to 1966, but The Suicide Squad will be the first time the character has appeared in any live-action content. Peacemaker wants nothing but peace, but he'll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. This oftentimes includes murdering anyone who tries to stand in his way. He doesn't have any superpowers like super strength, but instead is just one of the most skilled fighters around and a master of weapons.
Even before Cena debuts as the gun-toting, ultra-violent anti-hero in The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker has already become a breakout character within Warner Bros. and DC, as well as a favorite of Gunn. So when Gunn was asked who could be at the center of a spinoff show, Peacemaker was his first answer. The series was announced as an HBO Max original in the fall of 2020, nearly a year before The Suicide Squad's release date. Here's everything we know about Peacemaker.
HBO Max is confirmed to be the home for James Gunn's Peacemaker series, but when it will be released is still unknown. Production on the Suicide Squad spin-off is scheduled for January 2021 and will go on for months. The first season will consist of eight episodes, all written by Gunn, and the expected movie-level production likely won't make Peacemaker a quick shoot. Although an official release date is not known, fans should expect to see the series debut on HBO Max sometime in 2022.
Peacemaker is confirmed to tell a story that revolves around the origins of John Cena's titular character. This hints that the show could be a prequel to The Suicide Squad and set up how Peacemaker found himself locked up in Belle Reve, in addition to showing his backstory. However, Gunn has been quick to note that this might not be the case. Its possible Peacemaker will be both an origin story filled with flashbacks to his past and a sequel to The Suicide Squad that has Cena's character confront what happened before.
The cast of Peacemaker has formed around John Cena. Steve Agee's John Economos and Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt will return after their debuts in The Suicide Squad. Danielle Brooks is confirmed to play Leota Adebayo, who is a new character not from the comics. Terminator 2 star Robert Patrick will play Auggie Smith, a man tied to Peacemaker's past. It is also confirmed that Chris Conrad will play Adrian Chase aka The Vigilante, who is a villain from DC Comics.
