James Gunn Confirms His Original Choice for DC’s Peacemaker (And It Would Change Everything)

James Gunn introduced the world to John Cena as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad, and it’s been magic ever since. Cena quickly became a fan favorite and would go on to reprise the role in the well-received Peacemaker season 1, and now Cena is back in rare form in Peacemaker season 2. Taking all that into account, it’s difficult to see anyone other than Cena in that role, but Gunn just revealed who he had originally pictured in the part, and it would have changed everything.

In a new interview with The Howard Stern Show, Stern asked Gunn who his original choice was to play the character, as he had a hard time seeing anyone other than Cena pulling that role off. That’s when Gunn revealed he had actually written the role with his Guardians of the Galaxy cohort Dave Bautista in mind, and Bautista was even offered the role.

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“It was Dave Bautista, who’s a good friend of mine. Obviously, he plays Drax in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ and I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him and we offered him the role, but he was offered two other movies and we weren’t paying him a lot, and so he had to go where the money was, and I had always been a fan of John since ‘Trainwreck‘ especially. I thought he was so, so funny in that movie that I met with him. We talked. We became instant, instant friends, and then since then, you know, I’ve worked with him more than any other actor because I’ve done two seasons of ‘Peacemaker,’ ‘Suicide Squad,’ and we’re gonna be doing more together. So, he is a fantastic guy, a fantastic actor,” Gunn said.

A Very Different Peacemaker

It’s hard to picture someone other than Cena playing the role of Peacemaker, though after hearing Bautista’s name, I can certainly see the vision there. Bautista has shown his knack for blending real emotional moments with comedic sensibilities in several different projects, and like Cena, he certainly has the imposing build to make Peacemaker appear like a walking tank.

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Still, Cena has a unique comedic timing he brings to the mix that feels different than what Bautista would bring, and some of the facial expressions Cena delivers throughout the series feel unique to his skillset. Bautista would have been great, but now that we’ve seen what Cena has done with the part, it seems to have all worked out for the best.

A New Dynamic Duo

Gunn would go on to reveal that after that initial meeting, he cast Cena in the role without an audition, and the rest, they say, is history. Gunn also reveals the specific moment during the filming of Suicide Squad when he knew Cena could really act.

“I didn’t audition him. I just put him in it, but it was a simple role. It was very much like in ‘Trainwreck,’ and it just got deeper and deeper and there was a moment on the set of ‘The Suicide Squad‘ where I went to this close up of John, and I went all the way in on his eyes, and I saw the stuff that was occurring behind his eyes and I thought, ‘Wow. This guy could really act,’ and I think if you see in season two, he is absolutely not only funny, not only grounded, but also incredibly emotional, and I can’t wait for people to see the rest of the season. I think I love the Peacemaker show more than anything else I’ve ever done,” Gunn said.

That’s high praise given Gunn’s resume, which includes the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the recently released Superman. Gunn’s next priorities for DC include the upcoming Lanterns, Clayface, Supergirl, and the recently announced Man of Tomorrow, which will pick up where Superman and Peacemaker season 2 leave off.

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