James Gunn recalls the exact moment when he had the idea for a Peacemaker series during the production of The Suicide Squad. HBO Max has become another destination for Warner Bros.' DC properties, with both both original films and TV shows being developed for the platform. While Titans and Doom Patrol came over from DC Universe after the service was shut down, Peacemaker became the first HBO Max DCEU show, serving as a spinoff from The Suicide Squad. Set after the events of the 2021 film, Peacemaker revolves around John Cena's Christopher Smith as he joins an A.R.G.U.S. team to help stop Project Butterfly.
Despite being based on one of DC's lesser-known characters, it didn't take long for critics and fans to fall in love with Peacemaker as it became a massive hit for HBO Max. Prior to the season 1 finale, the show was picked up for season 2, with Gunn set to write and direct every single episode. However, Peacemaker is just the beginning, as Gunn and Warner Bros. are looking to do multiple spinoffs from The Suicide Squad. So far, one offshoot series has been confirmed, without specifying which character it will revolve around.
While more DCEU spinoffs will come to HBO Max, Gunn got the idea for the first one during the production of The Suicide Squad. In a new interview with Vulture, the busy filmmaker speaks about how Peacemaker was conceived as a solo-series for Cena. According to Gunn, it was during a pivotal moment between Cena's Peacemaker and Ratcatcher 2, played by Daniela Melchior, in which the former almost killed the latter. Here's what Gunn says about the moment when he realized that Peacemaker should have his own series:
There’s one really specific moment with me and John that I can trace the origin of this show back to. It’s the moment in The Suicide Squad where Peacemaker is holding his gun on Ratcatcher 2 and he’s about to kill her. I went into this tight closeup of his eyes. On set, I’m always on the microphone talking over everything while we’re shooting. So I’m talking to John on the God Mic about what he’s feeling, and I see his eyes switch. I see him go to this incredibly sad, vulnerable place. We realize this character is a guy who’s doing something he doesn’t want to do at all, but that he’s going to do anyway, which is shoot a young girl. When I saw that moment in him, I knew John was not just a performer who was funny, which is why I hired him, but a guy who had this other layer [...] A big part of me wanting to do Peacemaker was to sculpt away all the other stuff, all the juggling and entertaining John does, and focus on that vulnerable sector.
As Gunn pointed out, The Suicide Squad foreshadowed early that there was more than meets the eye when it came to Peacemaker. What could have been an empty character instead got an opportunity to be fleshed out into a three-dimensional "superhero." Throughout Peacemaker season 1, Gunn explored the bigger trauma in Christopher's life, such as the loss of his brother and the amount of abuse he had to take from his father during childhood. With the help of his supporting cast, the DC drama was able to add layers to Peacemaker that didn't get displayed heavily in The Suicide Squad.
After a first successful season, it will be exciting to see where Peacemaker season 2 takes Cena's character as his DCEU journey continues. So far, HBO Max has not indicated when production is set to begin on season 2, though it will likely be sometime after Gunn completes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Hopefully, as he finishes his MCU trilogy, Gunn will also begin work on the second, yet-to-be-revealed spinoff. With more Peacemaker adventures on their way, it will be intriguing to see what Gunn has planned for Cena's titular character and other The Suicide Squad players.
Source: Vulture
