John Cena James Gunn Developing Absurd Suicide Squad Prequel Show For Hbo Max

James Gunn’s

The Suicide Squad

is an intriguing entry in the DCEU slate. The hybrid reboot/sequel made headlines during last month’s DC FanDome, providing fans with

a sneak peek

of the massive cast and the work behind-the-scenes.

Not much is known about the plot details of the film, but it is expected that it will be

Rated-R

. On top of that, the fates of many characters beyond the film are unknown as well, but a new report has confirmed that fans will witness the journey of an intriguing villain before the events of the DCEU flick.

CONFIRMATION

John Cena as Peacemaker in

The Suicide Squad

The Hollywood Reporter

shared in a report

that HBO Max

“has given a straight-to-series order”

for

Peacemaker

, which will star John Cena in the titular role alongside James Gunn as the show’s writer and director. The report revealed that it will have an

“eight-episode first season:”

HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order for an eight-episode first season with Gunn writing all eight and directing several episodes, including the first. Cena will reprise his role from the upcoming movie for what will explore the origins of the character.

Peacemaker

will serve as a prequel series spinoff for

The Suicide Squad

, and it is being described as an

“action-adventure-comedy”

series for the HBO Max streaming platform.

The Suicide Squad

director James Gunn shared the exciting news on his Twitter account as well.

I’m over-the-moon excited to be working on #PEACEMAKER with my pals @JohnCena & #TheSuicideSquad producer Peter Safran on this new @hbomax original series from @warnerbrostv @DCComics pic.twitter.com/EsAkOVXB44

Peacemaker actor John Cena also hyped up the prequel spinoff series.

Working alongside @JamesGunn on #SuicideSquad was an absolute masterclass in how to best bring beloved characters to life in a new and fun way. I cannot wait for the #DCUniverse to experience more of absurdity that is the Peacemaker in this new project on @hbomax!!! pic.twitter.com/PZ9dOa7Dzj

WarnerMedia

shared an

official press release

about

Peacemaker

, giving fans more details about the John Cena-led prequel. The statement revealed that Gunn and

The Suicide Squad

producer Peter Safran

“will serve as executive producers of the series”

while Cena will be the co-executive producer.

The studio also mentioned that production for the series is scheduled to begin

“in early 2021”

before Gunn eventually moves to MCU’s

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:

HBO Max is set to explore the origins of the Peacemaker character, the master of weapons from the highly anticipated upcoming

The Suicide Squad

film, in the new Max Original action-adventure-comedy series

Peacemaker

. HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order of eight episodes for the first season of the show. John Cena will reprise his role from

The Suicide Squad

movie to star in the series, and the film’s acclaimed writer/director James Gunn will write all eight episodes of

Peacemaker

and will direct multiple episodes, including the first. Gunn and

The Suicide Squad

producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers of the series, with Cena as co-executive producer. Based on characters from DC,

Peacemaker

will be produced by Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Peacemaker

is scheduled to begin production in early 2021, prior to Gunn beginning work on the next

Guardians of the

Galaxy

film.

The press release from

WarnerMedia

also bared that the series

“will extend the world that Gunn is creating for

The Suicide Squad,

teasing what to expect for

Peacemaker

While details about

Peacemaker

are being kept under wraps, the series will explore the origins of the character that Cena will play in the upcoming film, a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it. The series will extend the world that Gunn is creating for

The Suicide Squad

movie, which is scheduled to be released in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 6, 2021.

Gunn admitted that

Peacemaker

will serve as an

“opportunity to delve into the current world issue through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag:”

“

Peacemaker

is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag. I’m excited to expand

The Suicide Squad

and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series. And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake.”

Meanwhile, Cena is

“unbelievably excited”

to team-up with Gunn once again for

Peacemaker.

“I have said before that it has been a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity to be part of

The Suicide Squad

and to work with James on what is going to be a fantastic movie. I am unbelievably excited to have the chance to team up with him again for

Peacemaker

. We can’t wait for fans to see this.”

Lastly, Chief Content Officer for HBO and HBO Max Casey Bloys praised Gunn’s

“unique ability to create an expansive universe,”

expressing his enthusiasm for

Peacemaker

“James Gunn has the unique ability to create an expansive universe while also bringing to life the soul and wit of each character. We look forward to a deep dive into the world of

Peacemaker

,”

Update

: While answering a question from Comicbook’s Brandon Davis,

Peacemaker

and

The Suicide Squad

director James Gunn further opened up on why he chose Cena’s character as the main focus of the new HBO Max Project:

True. It’s also DC coming to me & saying, “If you could do a TV show about any character from The Suicide Squad, which one would you do 1st?” And I was like, “I’ve been having this idea about #Peacemaker…” I’m always driven by what excites me most creatively in the moment. https://t.co/tY6VNot9Hy

THR also shared that their sources say that Cena’s Peacemaker is already a scene-stealer in early cuts of

The Suicide Squad,

becoming a favorite among WB executives and producers.

WHAT THIS MEANS

As is, the news of John Cena’s Peacemaker character receiving his own prequel spinoff series came out of nowhere, but this presents a rare opportunity for the DCEU to do something different for the franchise. More so, this development somewhat confirms that Peacemaker is an integral part of

The Suicide Squad

, and it will be interesting to see how huge his role is in the narrative.

It remains to be seen if other characters from

The Suicide Squad

will receive their own spinoffs, but the imminent arrival of

Peacemaker

provides strong evidence that more stories could be unraveled down the line. Given that production for

Peacemaker

will not start until early next year, it’s a safe bet that the series could arrive after the debut of

The Suicide Squad

(barring any delays). That said, this means that the prequel series will provide an in-depth look at Cena’s anti-hero character while also giving more context on what

The Suicide Squad

already presented to fans.

From the get go,

The Suicide Squad

has been poised to deliver an intriguing superhero adventure, and the promise of an exciting spinoff in the form of

Peacemaker

could signify that more storylines will be explored moving forward.

James Gunn’s

The Suicide Squad

is an intriguing entry in the DCEU slate. The hybrid reboot/sequel made headlines during last month’s DC FanDome, providing fans with

a sneak peek

of the massive cast and the work behind-the-scenes.

Not much is known about the plot details of the film, but it is expected that it will be

Rated-R

CONFIRMATION

The Hollywood Reporter

shared in a report

that HBO Max

“has given a straight-to-series order”

for

Peacemaker

, which will star John Cena in the titular role alongside James Gunn as the show’s writer and director. The report revealed that it will have an

“eight-episode first season:”

Peacemaker

will serve as a prequel series spinoff for

The Suicide Squad

, and it is being described as an

“action-adventure-comedy”

series for the HBO Max streaming platform.

The Suicide Squad

director James Gunn shared the exciting news on his Twitter account as well.

Peacemaker actor John Cena also hyped up the prequel spinoff series.

WarnerMedia

shared an

official press release

about

Peacemaker

, giving fans more details about the John Cena-led prequel. The statement revealed that Gunn and

The Suicide Squad

producer Peter Safran

“will serve as executive producers of the series”

while Cena will be the co-executive producer.

The studio also mentioned that production for the series is scheduled to begin

“in early 2021”

before Gunn eventually moves to MCU’s

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:

The press release from

WarnerMedia

also bared that the series

“will extend the world that Gunn is creating for

The Suicide Squad,

teasing what to expect for

Peacemaker

HBO Max is set to explore the origins of the Peacemaker character, the master of weapons from the highly anticipated upcoming

The Suicide Squad

film, in the new Max Original action-adventure-comedy series

Peacemaker

. HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order of eight episodes for the first season of the show. John Cena will reprise his role from

The Suicide Squad

movie to star in the series, and the film’s acclaimed writer/director James Gunn will write all eight episodes of

Peacemaker

and will direct multiple episodes, including the first. Gunn and

The Suicide Squad

producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers of the series, with Cena as co-executive producer. Based on characters from DC,

Peacemaker

will be produced by Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Peacemaker

is scheduled to begin production in early 2021, prior to Gunn beginning work on the next

Guardians of the

Galaxy

film.

Gunn admitted that

Peacemaker

will serve as an

“opportunity to delve into the current world issue through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag:”

While details about

Peacemaker

The Suicide Squad

movie, which is scheduled to be released in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 6, 2021.

Meanwhile, Cena is

“unbelievably excited”

to team-up with Gunn once again for

Peacemaker.

“

Peacemaker

is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag. I’m excited to expand

The Suicide Squad

Lastly, Chief Content Officer for HBO and HBO Max Casey Bloys praised Gunn’s

“unique ability to create an expansive universe,”

expressing his enthusiasm for

Peacemaker

“I have said before that it has been a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity to be part of

The Suicide Squad

and to work with James on what is going to be a fantastic movie. I am unbelievably excited to have the chance to team up with him again for

Peacemaker

. We can’t wait for fans to see this.”

Update

: While answering a question from Comicbook’s Brandon Davis,

Peacemaker

and

The Suicide Squad

director James Gunn further opened up on why he chose Cena’s character as the main focus of the new HBO Max Project:

“James Gunn has the unique ability to create an expansive universe while also bringing to life the soul and wit of each character. We look forward to a deep dive into the world of

Peacemaker

,”

THR also shared that their sources say that Cena’s Peacemaker is already a scene-stealer in early cuts of

The Suicide Squad,

becoming a favorite among WB executives and producers.

WHAT THIS MEANS

The Suicide Squad

, and it will be interesting to see how huge his role is in the narrative.

It remains to be seen if other characters from

The Suicide Squad

will receive their own spinoffs, but the imminent arrival of

Peacemaker

provides strong evidence that more stories could be unraveled down the line. Given that production for

Peacemaker

will not start until early next year, it’s a safe bet that the series could arrive after the debut of

The Suicide Squad

(barring any delays). That said, this means that the prequel series will provide an in-depth look at Cena’s anti-hero character while also giving more context on what

The Suicide Squad

already presented to fans.

From the get go,

The Suicide Squad

has been poised to deliver an intriguing superhero adventure, and the promise of an exciting spinoff in the form of

Peacemaker

could signify that more storylines will be explored moving forward.