Peacemaker Star Chukwudi Iwuji Shares the Story of James Gunn Asking Him To Be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Peacemaker is currently releasing new episodes every Thursday on HBO Max, and the show sees the return of some characters from The Suicide Squad as well as franchise newcomers. In fact, Chukwudi Iwuji recently made his DC debut on Peacemaker as Clemson Murn. The actor is best known for Designated Survivor, When They See Us, and John Wick: Chapter 2, and Peacemaker won’t be the end of his comic book television/movie career. Iwuji has already reteamed up with James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is currently in production. It’s unclear who Iwuji is playing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the actor has opened up about how much he enjoys working with Gunn. In a recent interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Iwuji shared the story of Gunn asking him to be in the third Guardians movie while on the set of Peacemaker. 

“#Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji shares the story of how @JamesGunn approached him to join the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3,” Rotten Tomatoes teased on Instagram. “When we were filming that opening dance sequence, we did a take and James came up to me and said, ‘Do you want to come see the take and can I have a word with you in a second?’” Iwuji joked that he thought he was about to be replaced by Chiwetel Ejiofor, but it was just the opposite. Gunn offered him the role in Guardians. The video also features Gunn, who adds, “I can tell you he’s been fantastic and everyone has been blown away by how good he is in Guardians 3.” You can watch the clip in the post below:

In an interview with The Movie Dweeb on YouTube, Iwuji talked about Gunn’s “gift” for taking big blockbuster stories and finding “real humanity” in them. “I love working with him,” Iwuji shared. The interview was posted by @guardiansupdate on Twitter, who wrote, “Chukwudi Iwuji says some heartwarming words about what he loves about working with @JamesGunn on #Peacemaker and #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Volume 3.” The post caught the attention of Gunn, who replied, “One of the great joys of the past year of my life has been working with Chuk on both #Peacemaker & #GotGVol3, and getting to know him as a friend.”

Gunn is known for working with some of the same actors on multiple projects, including his brother Sean Gunn and Michael Rooker, who are both in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies as well as The Suicide Squad. Gunn previously teased that some stars from The Suicide Squad could be popping up in the new Guardians. While the director could just be alluding to their returns (although, he has no plans to resurrect Rooker’s Yondu), fans are hoping there will be some unexpected cameos in the threequel. This wouldn’t be too shocking considering Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star, Pom Klementieff, made a surprise appearance in The Suicide Squad. 

Peacemaker’s first four episodes are now streaming on HBO Max. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.