The Suicide Squad Actor John Cena Explains How Peacemaker Series With James Gunn Came Together

When the news broke that HBO Max was developing a series around DC’s Peacemaker — one spinning out of The Suicide Squad and starring WWE legend John Cena in the title role — it seemed to come out nowhere. Shocking fans and driving a ton of excitement for the future of DC on HBO Max, the announcement was a loud and clear statement that, at least in some ways, DC was set to follow Marvel’s lead in eroding the walls between their theatrical and TV offerings. And Cena wants fans to know that he’s just as excited as they are — and was just as surprised when the opportunity came up.

With James Gunn headed back to Marvel to direct Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 once it’s safe to film again, the idea of The Suicide Squad getting an immediate spinoff that the filmmaker would help write and direct felt like a pretty unlikely development. But during an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Cena said that when the possibility came up, there was no doubt in his mind that it was the right thing to do next.

“This is also, you try to do the best you can with every opportunity,” Cena explained. “I really loved The Suicide Squad and got along great with James [Gunn], and was like ‘Hey man, we should do this again!’ He was like ‘Yeah, we should do this again!’ Pretty soon, he was like, ‘Yo, do you want to do a show for HBO Max?’ I was like, what?!”

You can see the video at the NBC website, with these comments around the 24-minute mark.

Joining Cena in The Suicide Squad is a star-studded cast including Sean Gunn as Weasel, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang Idris Elba as Bloodsport, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Steve Agee as John Economos and King Shark (on-set reference), Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, John Cena as Peacemaker, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, Peter Capaldi as Thinker, Nathan Fillion as Tok, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Joaquin Cosio as General Mateo Suarez, Juan Diego Botto as Luna, Storm Reid as Tyla, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, and Taika Waititi in an unknown role.

The Suicide Squad is set for release on August 6, 2021.