John Cena compared The Suicide Squad director James Gunn's style to Vince McMahon's. Best described as a soft reboot, Gunn’s Suicide Squad will return a few characters from David Ayer’s critically panned predecessor from 2017. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) headline the returning cast. Notable newcomers to Task Force X include Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and Peacemaker (John Cena); the latter will be getting a solo series on HBO Max. The spinoff was announced long before audiences will see Cena in The Suicide Squad on August 6.
Described by Cena as a "douchey Captain America,” Peacemaker is a paradoxical character at his core. He is a pacifist who believes in achieving peace at any cost, even if it requires the use of violence. Cena’s character is a lovable addition to the film's team of eccentric ex-cons looking to redeem themselves on a suicide mission. Still, Gunn has warned not to get too attached to any characters in The Suicide Squad since many of them won’t make it out of Project Starfish alive. Peacemaker’s fate is still up in the air since his subsequent series will likely be set before the film's events.
In an interview with Collider’s Steven Weintraub, Cena was promoting Fast & Furious 9 when he was surprised with a question from a "fan." That fan turned out to be The Suicide Squad James Gunn, who asked, “What makes James Gunn so better than any other director you’ve worked with,” which led to an interesting answer from Cena. Read his response below:
That’s an easy question to answer. James is everything and the reason he is such a great director is because he assumes all roles. He creates the story from the ground up. He supervises the story as a producer. He manages all personalities when they’re on set. As a coach, he is very determined in his selection process of the cast, so he’s a casting agent. He’s meticulous on small details, so he's wardrobe design. He’s a ridiculously intricate storyboarder, so he’s a production designer as well… He’s almost like the Vince McMahon of a movie.
Cena gave an extremely detailed and intricate response to Gunn’s slightly jokey question, but perhaps the most notable part of his response is his comparison between Gunn and McMahon. As CEO of the WWE since 2009, McMahon is famously involved in every facet of the professional wrestling company, from marketing to appearing in the ring as Mr. McMahon. Therefore, the comparison between Cena’s former boss in the WWE and his most recent one of the set of The Suicide Squad seems apt.
Cena’s answer goes to the more significant point of Gunn’s status as an auteur, which is rare for comic book films, which are more commonly crafted through a collaborative process. After The Suicide Squad and Gunn’s work on Peacemaker is complete, he shifts back to Marvel for a third and final installment of Guardians of the Galaxy. After that, it will be interesting to see what comic book property Gunn tackles next.
Source: Collider
