Peacemaker Creator James Gunn and Cast Reveal New Details of The Suicide Squad Spinoff Show

Only a few months after the release of The Suicide Squad, James Gunn and John Cena will be bringing Peacemaker to HBO Max. Recently, DC fans have gotten some glimpses at the upcoming spin-off series, including the first look at some footage. In additio to Cena in the titular role, the show will feature The Suicide Squad‘s Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt and Steve Agee as John Economos as well as franchise newcomers Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, Chris Conrad as Vigilante, Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke, Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn, Lochlyn Munro as Larry Fitzgibbon, and Annie Chang as Sophie Song. Recently, Gunn and Holland spoke with Deadline and teased details about some characters. 

“Peacemaker has a lot of issues,” Gunn explained. “I don’t sit down and say ‘Oh, how am I gonna make this character likable.’ I make it as fully fleshed as possible, and one of the things that I wanted to tell was a story in which he’s got a lot to learn.” He added, “His blind spots are pretty terrible and there are other places of him being ignorant.” 

“He’s every guy I grew up with in Missouri, and not different from anyone I know,” Gunn shared. “Everyone on TV is entirely good or entirely evil, although there are some great shows not like that, and it was fun to make a supervillain who has a lot of nuances.”

“She’s closed off,” Holland added about her character, “that comes from a life of seeing a lot of death and killing of a lot of people.” She continued, “She also believes that close personal relationships are dangerous. I think she’s a lone wolf,” teasing Emilia will “will become a more well-rounded person and create some relationships with people throughout the season.”

Gunn has also been posting a lot of behind-the-scenes content from The Suicide Squad lately, including some great stuff featuring Cena as Peacemaker. Recently, the director shared a hilarious video of Cena after he had 36 empanadas. The Suicide Squad‘s post-credit scene revealed if the new show would be a sequel or prequel to the movie, and Gunn recently teased what fans can expect from the story.

“Through the story, you learn where Peacemaker came from,” Gunn told Variety about Peacemaker‘s place in the DCEU timeline. “There’s a moment in [The Suicide Squad] where Bloodsport talks about his father and what his father was like, and you cut to a shot of Peacemaker, and Peacemaker nods. That’s the seed of the entire Peacemaker series.”

Peacemaker is expected to debut on the streaming service in January.