Peacemaker (TV series)
Peacemaker is an upcoming American television series created and written by James Gunn for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is a spin-off from the film The Suicide Squad (2021) and the first television series set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The series is produced by DC Films, The Safran Company, and Troll Court Entertainment.
Peacemaker | |
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Promotional image | |
Genre | |
Created by | James Gunn |
Based on | |
Written by | James Gunn |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production location | Canada |
Cinematography | Michael Bonvillain |
Production companies | |
Distributor | Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | HBO Max |
John Cena stars as the title character, reprising his role from The Suicide Squad. Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland, Chris Conrad, and Chukwudi Iwuji also star. Gunn wrote the series while he was completing work on the film during the COVID-19 pandemic. HBO Max ordered it straight-to-series in September 2020, with Gunn also directing several episodes. Filming began in January 2021 and is scheduled to conclude in June, taking place in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada.
Peacemaker is scheduled to premiere around mid-2021, and will consist of eight episodes.
Premise
The series will explore the origins of Peacemaker.[1]
Cast and characters
Main
- John Cena as Peacemaker: A ruthless killer who believes in achieving peace at any cost. Gunn described the character as a "superhero/supervillain/[the] world's biggest douchebag".[1]
- Steve Agee as John Economos: The warden of the Belle Reve penitentiary and an aide to Amanda Waller.[2]
- Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo[3]
- Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith[4]
- Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt: An NSA agent who is an aide to Amanda Waller.[4]
- Chris Conrad as Adrian Chase / The Vigilante: A district attorney and crimefighter who can quickly heal from injuries.[4]
- Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn[5]
Recurring
- Lochlyn Munro as Larry Fitzgibbon[5]
- Annie Chang as Detective Sophie Song[5]
- Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke[5]
- Elizabeth Ludlow as Keeya[6]
- Rizwan Manji as Jamil[6]
- Nhut Le as Judomaster[7]
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [1] | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | TBA | James Gunn[4] | James Gunn | Mid-2021[8] |
Beyond the first episode, James Gunn is also directing several others and has written all eight episodes of the series.[1][4]
Production
Development
While completing work on The Suicide Squad (2021) in August 2020, during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, writer and director James Gunn began writing a spin-off television series centered on the origins of the character Peacemaker, portrayed by John Cena in the film.[9][1] He said this was "mostly for fun".[9] The next month, HBO Max ordered Peacemaker straight-to-series, with Gunn writing all eight episodes of the first season and directing several of them. Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran were set as executive producers, with Cena as co-executive producer.[1] Gunn later explained that DC Films had asked him what The Suicide Squad character he would want to make a television series spin-off about first, and at that point he already had his idea for Peacemaker.[10] In December 2020, Matt Miller joined as an additional executive producer.[11]
Writing
Peacemaker extends the world that Gunn built for The Suicide Sqaud,[1] though he would not reveal when the series was set in relation to the film until after the film's release.[12] He said the series was an opportunity to explore current world issues through the title character.[1] Gunn took eight weeks to write the first season, using the time that was allocated for him to have a break between his work on The Suicide Squad and Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). He chose not to take a break due to the pandemic.[9][13]
Casting
With the series order in September 2020, John Cena was confirmed to be reprising his role as Peacemaker from The Suicide Squad.[1] The next month, Steve Agee joined the series as John Economos, also returning from the film.[2] In November, Gunn's girlfriend Jennifer Holland joined the series as her The Suicide Squad character Emilia Harcourt, alongside new cast members Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, and Chris Conrad as Adrian Chase / The Vigilante.[3][4] Chukwudi Iwuji joined them as Clemson Murn in December, and several recurring guests were cast: Lochlyn Munro as Larry Fitzgibbon, Annie Chang as Detective Sophie Song, and Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke.[5] Elizabeth Ludlow, Rizwan Manji, and Nhut Le were added in the recurring roles of Keeya, Jamil, and Judomaster, respectively, in February 2021.[6][7]
Filming
By early November 2020, Gunn had arrived in Canada for a two-week quarantine before starting production on the series.[14] Filming began on January 15, 2021, in Toronto,[9][15] with Michael Bonvillain serving as cinematographer.[16] Filming will also occur in Burnaby, Vancouver, and is set to end on June 9.[17][14]
Release
Peacemaker is scheduled to debut around the same time as The Suicide Squad's August 2021 release on HBO Max,[8] and will consist of eight episodes.[1]
References
- White, Peter (September 23, 2020). "'The Suicide Squad' TV Spinoff 'Peacemaker' Starring John Cena From James Gunn Ordered By HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 29, 2020). "'The Suicide Squad' HBO Max Spinoff Series 'Peacemaker' Adds Steve Agee". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 11, 2020). "'Orange Is The New Black' Star Danielle Brooks Joins HBO Max 'Suicide Squad' Spinoff Series 'Peacemaker'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 11, 2020). "'Peacemaker': Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland & Chris Conrad Also Join HBO Max 'Suicide Squad' Spinoff Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2020). "'Peacemaker': HBO Max James Gunn 'Suicide Squad' Spinoff Series Adds Four". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2021). "'Peacemaker': HBO Max James Gunn 'Suicide Squad' Spinoff Series Adds Elizabeth Faith Ludlow & Rizwan Manji". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2021). "'Peacemaker': James Gunn HBO Max Series Adds Nhut Le As Judomaster". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- Beedle, Tim (January 28, 2021). "Zack Snyder's Justice League Gets New Posters and a Release Date". DC Comics. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- Schmidt, JK (January 15, 2021). "The Suicide Squad Spinoff Peacemaker Begins Filming With James Gunn". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- Gunn, James [@JamesGunn] (September 23, 2020). "True. It's also DC coming to me & saying, "If you could do a TV show about any character from The Suicide Squad, which one would you do 1st?" And I was like, "I've been having this idea about #Peacemaker..." I'm always driven by what excites me most creatively in the moment" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- Andreeva, Nellie (December 14, 2020). "Matt Miller Joins 'Peacemaker' HBO Max Series As EP, Renews Overall Deal With Warner Bros. TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- Gunn, James [@JamesGunn] (September 23, 2020). "We're holding off announcing the timeline of the #Peacemaker TV show until after #TheSuicideSquad movie" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- Gunn, James [@JamesGunn] (September 23, 2020). "I'm doing #Peacemaker in the time always allotted between #TheSuicideSquad & #GotGVol3. Normally I would have been taking more of a break in this space but it's Covid, I'm stuck at home, so I wrote a TV series" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020 – via Twitter.
- Drum, Nicole (November 8, 2020). "James Gunn Begins Quarantine in Canada Ahead of Peacemaker Shoot". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- Couch, Aaron; McMillan, Graeme (January 22, 2021). "Welcome to the Multiverse: Studios Lean Into Fan Demand". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- Gunn, James [@JamesGunn] (February 4, 2021). "Michael Bonvillain is shooting #Peacemaker for me and I'm loving working with him. Henry is shooting Flash, I believe, and then he'll be working with me again on Vol 3 later this year" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021 – via Twitter.
- "Peacemaker (Series)". Production List. November 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
External links
- Peacemaker at IMDb