Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad.’
After scheming her way through both 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’ and last year’s ‘The Suicide Squad’, not to mention two quick cameos in ‘Peacemaker’, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller looks to become the focus of her own TV series.
According to Variety, Davis is in talks to return as Waller and to be an executive producer on the new series. Gunn, who is currently in the final stages of filming ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, won’t write or direct on the show, choosing instead to focus on the future of ‘Peacemaker’ itself and other projects he’s developing.
Instead, Christal Henry, who has worked on shows including ‘Watchmen’ (also for HBO Max), ‘The First’ and ‘APB’, will be the creative head, lead writer and executive producer of the Waller series, should it make it to production. Gunn will be involved, however, as an executive producer alongside regular producing partner Peter Safran.
Waller, for those who have somehow avoided both the ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and ‘Peacemaker’, is the ambitious, conniving civil servant and director of A.R.G.U.S. who established Task Force X, AKA the Suicide Squad, wanting to assemble a team of expendable metahumans who would be used to execute covert operations against even more dangerous threats.
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad.’
Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ introduced John Cena’s Christopher Smith, better known as Peacemaker, a bullish, dim-bulb hero whose stated mission is peace at any cost – even if it means killing everyone in sight. ‘Peacemaker’ developed the character in much more rounded fashion, exploring his traumatic, troubled past and seeing him confront a new enemy in the shape of alien butterfly creatures intent on taking Earth for themselves.
‘Peacemaker’, though it only featured Waller briefly, introduced some big changes into the storyline for the character as – spoiler alert – the finale saw her daughter, Leota Adebayo (played by Danielle Brooks) blow the whistle Waller’s actions and her attempts to frame Peacemaker to put him back behind bars.
That would seem to effectively close down Task Force X and other opportunities for Waller, who has always worked best in the shadows. The new series would presumably feature her attempts to deal with the fallout, and to get a new scheme and/or team into play. Brooks was entertaining and human as Adebayo, so hopefully she might also crop up in the new show.
This would by no means be Davis’ first TV series. She won an Emmy for playing brilliant criminal defense professor Annalise Keating on ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ and is currently to be found playing Michelle Obama on Showtime series ‘The First Lady’, which looks at the lives of various presidents’ wives, including Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt.
And Davis will also be back in theaters with ‘The Woman King’, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical action drama which sees Davis as Nanisca, ruler of the kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. That movie will be out on September 16th.
It took a remarkable amount of confidence for writer/director James Gunn to announce a spin-off from ‘The Suicide Squad’ based around John Cena’s Christopher ‘Peacemaker’ Smith, the numbskull vigilante whose entire credo is peace through any means – even if those means are killing anyone or anything he deems necessary.
Peacemaker wasn’t the most popular character on the ‘Squad’ crew, but, played with relish by Cena, he certainly made an impact, and Gunn hinted at more to come when the character survived near certain death.
‘The Suicide Squad’ itself didn’t do that well at the box office, partly due to the pandemic and because of its day-and-date launch on HBO Max. And when Gunn confirmed the series was in the works, plenty of people questioned the need for a show based around the character.
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How wrong they were. As it turns out, ‘Peacemaker’ is one of the more satisfying series of the year so far, and streets ahead of even some of the recent Marvel and Lucasfilm offerings.
Picking up as Smith is released from hospital, the show sees him thrown into a new mission, this time dealing with a threat from alien bug creatures that have taken over humans for their own ends.
Peacemaker is – somewhat unwillingly – teamed up with Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), who we met in more headquarters-bound form in ‘The Suicide Squad’. This squad is led by Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), a special forces operative who has little time for interaction with his team. And then there’s the new recruit, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), who seems completely unprepared for the task in hand, but has a secret – she’s the daughter of ‘Squad’s Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and a hidden agenda.
(L to R) John Cena and Danielle Brooks in HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker.’
Tagging along are two of Peacemaker’s friends – pet and best pal Eagly (a fantastic CGI creation who has all the personality and humour you’d expect from a James Gunn project, even if he can’t talk) and Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), a cheery sociopath who enjoys killing people if he thinks it serves justice… Or just because.
This team, which redefines the term “rag-tag” must investigate and stop extra-terrestrials nicknamed “Butterflies” that have their own plans for humanity. Oh, and then there’s Christopher’s father, Auggie Smith (a foul-mouthed Robert Patrick), who is a racist, scheming White Supremacist who constantly belittles his son. These various sides will come into serious conflict – and not everyone will make it out alive…
‘Peacemaker’ works so well because Gunn has been given free rein to indulge his creative side, pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable on a superhero show, or indeed any TV series.
But far from simply being vulgar, bloody, and violent, the show is a potent combination of everything Gunn does so well. The humor and action are both excellent, but secondary to character growth. Every single member of the cast gets moments to shine – this is not simply Smith’s show. And everyone enjoys a complete character arc that finds them evolve and grow as the plot trundles along.
Gunn said when the show was originally revealed that he was looking to dig under Peacemaker’s helmet to find the man beneath, in a way that isn’t possible in a movie. And he certainly lived up to that claim – with Cena throwing himself into the role (literally, on occasion), Christopher Smith proves to be a far more complex person than the slaughter-happy idiot we meet in the ‘Squad’ movie.
He’s burdened by serious daddy issues thanks to Auggie’s toxic parenting, and still haunted by accidentally killing his brother (again, really his father’s fault). He starts to realize that his bullying, smug attitude is drawn from this background and begins to figure out how to be a better person.
Murn is a tough nut to crack, but Iwuji gives him layers, particularly later, and obviously left an impact on Gunn, who cast him in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’ Brooks, best known to date for Netflix’s ‘Orange is the New Black’ shines as Adebayo, thrust into a world she’s (mostly) unprepared to handle, she figures out her place on the team and bonds with Smith over their shared parental problems.
Holland’s casting was controversial since she dates Gunn in real life, but anyone trying to cry nepotism need to take a long, hard look at themselves – freed from the confines of her ‘Squad’ duty, Holland really works as Harcourt, letting her initially chilly side melt as she interacts with her colleagues. Similarly, Agee is handed plenty to do than simply play a nervous nerd behind a computer, coming into his own heroic side with occasionally violent results.
John Cena in HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker’
Stroma, meanwhile, doesn’t see his character change all that much, but that’s because Vigilante (real name: Adrian Chase) is so entertaining as a clueless goofball that to alter him might upset what makes the man work. Yet he also has a great arc that finds him drawing closer to the rest of the gang.
And then there’s Eagly, who is both a comedic gem and the beating heart that keeps Peacemaker grounded (even as he flies).
Yet the character work also extends to the supporting cast – Annie Chang’s endlessly miffed cop Sophie Song has a great line in insults, particularly for Auggie, and she’s backed up by gung-ho partner Fitzgibbon (played with a sweet nature by Lochlyn Munro). And when we finally meet the leader of the alien threat, they’re not simply a scheming, mustache-twirling villain (partly because they don’t have a mustache).
Along the way, there is so much to enjoy – hilariously rude riffs on other superheroes (Peacemaker has some seriously warped ideas on their behavior), some weird enemies (Christopher Heyerdahl as Police Captain Locke is a strange fellow even before he gets taken over by one of the alien bugs, and the performance clearly delighted his director, as he features in several extended moments) and some fun with rock and metal music. Oh, and seemingly in a dig at Marvel’s obsession with setting up other stories and characters, ‘Peacemaker’s end credit sequences only serve to add more jokes.
The path to the finale is a rollicking ride that never forgets to also have heart, and the last episode sticks the landing, with a couple of gigantic cameos that don’t feel out of place. Gunn skillfully weaves jokes and character touches into the story, and everything pays off at the end.
Though the first season ends with the threat largely vanquished and everyone in a very different place to where they started, the possibilities are endless for this series. Gunn wrote the entire first run and shared directing duties with Brad Anderson, Jody Hill, and Rosemary Rodriguez, but plans to handle it all for season 2.
If I were to guess as to what might happen? Peacemaker will continue his journey to become a better person (while still finding time to rock). Harcourt will become more of a leader. Adebayo will find more time for her wife (Keeya played by Elizabeth Faith Ludlow), and Eagly will continue to be the bright, shiny star of the series.
The entire series is now available on HBO Max. Be sure to watch the finale, as it features surprise cameos from several other popular DC Characters!
James Gunn’s HBO Max-based spin-off to his ‘The Suicide Squad’ movie from last year has been a big success for the streaming service. And the company has moved quickly to order a second season, as announced by Gunn on twitter.
‘Peacemaker’, which Gunn created shortly after finishing work on the ‘Squad’, was announced even before the movie was released. It stars John Cena as Christopher ‘Peacemaker’ Smith, the lunkheaded man of action who believes he must kill anyone to achieve his aims.
In the series, he’s joined by ‘Squad’ veterans Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) plus new faces Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Vigilante (Freddie Stroma). There are also a variety of cops, alien bug creatures, troublesome civilians and Smith’s father, White Supremacist Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick). And then there’s breakout star Eagly, Peacemaker’s pet eagle/best friend, who has stolen scenes from his human co-stars.
It’s a violent, vulgar, funny, and heartfelt show, which manages to dig deeper into Peacemaker’s character and background without changing what made him work.
Though HBO Max executives were noncommittal during the company’s Television Critics Association panel on Wednesday morning, Gunn’s tweet signaled that the show would return, and official statements quickly followed.
(L to R) David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Idris Elba and Daniela Melchior in ‘The Suicide Squad.’
“The brilliance of James Gunn once again shines with ‘Peacemaker’. He took this character, brought to life by the inimitable John Cena, and created an exceptional series that’s simultaneously thrilling, hilarious and heartfelt, showcasing the humanity beneath this team of misfits living in a superhuman world,” says HBO Max original content head Sarah Aubrey. “As the first original DC show to have its series premiere on HBO Max, we are thrilled that the viewers agreed to give peace a f***ing chance.”
Gunn himself is also happy that people have embraced the series: “Creating ‘Peacemaker’ has been one of the true highlights of my life, both professionally and otherwise, with John Cena and the incredible creative team around me, as well as our partners at HBO Max. To have something we all love so much be loved by the audience in turn has been a wonderful experience. I can’t wait for folks to see where Team Peacemaker goes in Season Two!”
As for Cena? “I am incredibly honored and humbled by the response to Peacemaker and the experience of playing this character,” he says in a statement. “Thank you to James Gunn, [producer] Peter Safran, HBO Max, the crew, and my castmates who worked tirelessly to make this unforgettable series.”
‘Peacemaker’s first season wraps up this week with the finale. Gunn wrote the entire first run and directed five of the eight episodes (Brad Anderson, Jody Hill and Rosemary Rodriguez handled the other three. For Season 2, Gunn will be writing and directing the whole thing.
When he’ll start work will depend on his duties around ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ for Marvel, which he’s shooting now, and the holiday special featuring the ‘Guardians’ characters, which is in progress. There’s also his other planned ‘Suicide Squad’ spin-off show, about which he’s revealed very little other than it won’t be as comedic as ‘Peacemaker’.
‘Peacemaker’s whole first season is – or will be from midnight Thursday – available on HBO Max.
(L to R) Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, and Dave Bautista in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’
James Gunn is a busy man of late, diving back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to wrap up his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trilogy that began with 2014’s ‘Vol 1’. And if his latest statements to Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast are anything to go by, the new film really will be something of a finale for the characters.
So, what can we expect from the movie? “It’s big. It’s so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be,” says Gunn. “I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story. That’s always a little bit scary. I’m very aware that the third film in most trilogies suck.”
Few details have emerged about what the Guardians will face this time, though we do know that Elizabeth Debicki’s haughty, golden Ayesha will return from 2017’s ‘Vol 2.’ and Will Poulter is playing the powerful Adam Warlock, whose creation was teased at the end of that film and who has a long comic book history with the Guardians. Will he be a hero or a villain? (It’s too early to tell, but he’s been both on Marvel’s pages).
Plus, there’s still the fallout from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to deal with – Gamora died in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and the version who is currently travelling with them is from another timeline created in ‘Endgame’, which causes no end of trouble for Star-Lord, who was in love with the original. Feel free to reach for the headache pills now.
Also, the Guardians (at least some of them), cameo in Taika Waititi’s ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’, in theaters on July 8 this year, so that may have an impact.
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However the story works out, it’s not the only ‘Guardians’ project that Gunn is cooking up. In addition to shooting ‘Vol. 3’ in Atlanta and London, he’s also written and will make a Guardians holiday special, which will debut on Disney+, probably this December.
According to the writer/director, people have been excited by the special’s script so far. “I’m almost jealous of it, even though I wrote it,” Gunn told Collider earlier this month. “Because people freak out so much on how much they love the script for the holiday special that I’m almost like, ‘Well, wait. I’ve got [‘Vol. 3’] I’ve been working on for two years. You love the holiday special that I literally wrote in a very short amount of time.’”
Gunn has yet to reveal how the special might tie into the ongoing story, or what the plot might have in store, but given the quality of his work with Marvel so far, it’s one to anticipate. Especially since he teased on social media in October that it’ll bring someone else aboard: “In my incredibly subjective & admittedly often odd opinion, we’ll be introducing one of the greatest MCU characters of all time,” he said in a tweet to a question about the show.
And don’t go panicking that references to the “end” of the Guardians means they all fly into a star – Marvel has shown the ability to adapt and alter line-ups before in its cinematic universe, so their stories will continue.
Gunn, though appears ready to step away, at least for a while, and is ready to focus on the DC universe instead. He’s seen huge success with ‘Peacemaker’, the show that spins off John Cena’s numbskull fighter from last year’s ‘The Suicide Squad’.
‘Peacemaker’ has quickly become one of the biggest hits for HBO Max, with audiences appreciating Gunn and his cast’s mix of ribald humour, violence, and emotional stakes. “I think at the heart of ‘Peacemaker’ is a love story between Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) and Christopher Smith (John Cena),” Gunn says, “And it’s not a sexual love, not a romantic love, it’s a love of friendship, of two people who are very different from each other, but they have a lot in common: They have overbearing parents who are obsessed with power, and their own version of what success is.”
John Cena as Peacemaker in ‘Suicide Squad’
According to the creator, who wrote all eight episodes and directed five, talks are already under way for more of the show. “The show is doing extraordinarily well, and we’re excited, we all like doing it, we just need to cross some T’s and dot some I’s, which is basically me.”
And beyond that series, it certainly sounds like Gunn is ready to expand the ‘Squad’ universe even further on TV. He’s cagey about what shape the new show might take, but it’s on his mind. “I can’t say anything,” he says. “It is connected to this universe, and I don’t think it will be the same genre as ‘Peacemaker,’ it won’t be as much a comedy as ‘Peacemaker’, but it will be in the same universe.”
Speculation is already running rampant as to who Gunn could build a show around next, as ‘The Suicide Squad’ certainly features a lot of characters who could carry their own show, and several of them even survived to the end credits of the movie. Though it seems unlikely that bigger names such as Idris Elba or Margot Robbie would have space in their schedules for a show, you could predict that perhaps Peter Capaldi’s Thinker (though, Spoiler Alert!, that would be a prequel) or Daniel Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 might be prime candidates.
‘Peacemaker’ debuts new episodes on Thursdays via HBO Max. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ will be released on May 5, 2023.
Premiering on HBO Max January 13th is ‘Peacemaker,’ a spinoff of James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad,’ which stars John Cena reprising his title role. We thought now would be a great time to look back at the best movies of John Cena’s career.
Welcome to hell a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them all of them.
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary yellow VW bug.
When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal.
When a straight-laced couple that has fun with a rowdy couple on vacation in Mexico return to the States, they discover that the crazy couple they met in Mexico followed them back home and decide to play tricks on them.
When New Orleans Police Detective Danny Fisher stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multimillion-dollar heist, the thief’s girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting Danny with 12 rounds of near-impossible puzzles and tasks that he must somehow complete to save the life of the woman he loves.
A group of diamond thieves on the run kidnap the wife of a recently discharged marine who goes on a chase through the South Carolinian wilderness to retrieve her.
