Peacemaker: Directors Revealed for James Gunn and John Cena's HBO Max Series

James Gunn reveals the directors joining him on Peacemaker, the spin-off series of The Suicide Squad he created for HBO Max. Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker and directs five of them, including the series premiere, and recently revealed Jody Hill (Observe and Report, HBO's Eastbound & Down) is behind the camera on one episode. Speaking to Collider ahead of The Suicide Squad, where John Cena (Bumblebee, F9) joins the DC Extended Universe as a violent DC Comics anti-hero, Gunn reveals the remaining two directors joining himself and Hill on Peacemaker.

Brad Anderson (Fringe, DC's Titans) and Rosemary Rodriguez (Marvel's Jessica Jones, The Walking Dead) will each direct an episode of Peacemaker. Spinning out of The Suicide Squad, the streamer describes the Max Original action-adventure-comedy series as an exploration of the origins of Cena's character: "A man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it."

Peacemaker is "an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world's biggest douchebag," the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker said when announcing the series he executive produces alongside The Suicide Squad's Peter Safran. "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."

Peacemaker also stars Steve Agee, reprising his The Suicide Squad role as John Economos, Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black) as Leota Adebayo, Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) as Auggie Smith, Chukwudi Iwuji (Designated Survivor) as Clemson Murn, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, the aide to Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) in The Suicide Squad, and Freddie Stroma (Bridgerton) as Vigilante.

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. 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.

The Suicide Squad, starring Margot Robbie and Idris Elba, is playing in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6. Peacemaker premieres January 2022 on HBO Max.