James Gunn says that John Cena improvised more lines in Peacemaker than any other actor in his previous projects. The 44-year-old actor and wrestler reprised his role as the titular character Peacemaker in the new HBO Max series, which debuted earlier in January. Cena first portrayed the misguided anti-hero in Gunn’s 2021 film, The Suicide Squad.
Following the events of the film, the new series finds Peacemaker enlisted into a new group of misfits as a part of Project Butterfly. Similar to the absurd alien monster from The Suicide Squad, Starro the Conqueror, the new group’s mission is to hunt down and destroy other extraterrestrials. Led by Cena, the remainder of Project Butterfly includes Danielle Brooks, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, and Steve Agee. Freddie Stroma also joins the cast as Peacemaker’s sociopathic crime-fighting partner Vigilante.
Responding to a fan over Twitter, Gunn has now revealed just how much improvisation Cena got away with on Peacemaker. “Maybe 2%,” he admitted. Though on the surface this may appear to be a small portion of dialogue, Gunn assures that it is “WAY more” improv than any other actor has previously enjoyed on his projects. Check out the post below:
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Having become the DCEU’s most critically successful television or film entry, it seems apparent that Gunn’s injection of comedy and chaos has been well received by audiences. While already well established within the Marvel Cinematic Universe for The Guardians of the Galaxy, his DC success bodes well for his future, currently untitled, television projects. Though The Suicide Squad may have underperformed at the box office upon its release, Peacemaker’s hugely positive reception from fans and critics makes it seem unlikely that anyone will object to Gunn’s film or TV formula, even if it does impose a slight limit on improv.
With further shows reportedly in the works, Gunn seems to have made a permanent and positive impression upon the DCEU. While his work on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 continues, his future projects seem to be increasingly DC-oriented as the film universe pushes to reinvent itself. Though the next series is yet to be announced, Gunn has repeatedly teased that multiple spinoff shows could be in the works, as well as confirming that his next big project is likely to be one. While there are no guarantees that Cena will make an appearance in any of these shows, it seems highly likely that Peacemaker will receive a second season in light of its critical success. Nevertheless, given Gunn’s apparent favor towards his improv, it remains a distinct possibility that he will be called upon for guest appearances in other projects.
Source: James Gunn
