Peacemaker: Suicide Squad Spinoff With John Cena Coming to HBO Max

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is getting a prequel on HBO Max, in the form of an eight episode spinoff focused on John Cena’s Peacemaker. Gunn will write all eight episodes and direct “multiple episodes, including the first” according to HBO Max. Peter Safran, who produced Aquaman, Shazam!, and Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad will serve as producer on the show.

All that’s known at the moment is that the series will explore Peacemaker’s origin story, and describes him as “a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.” We wrote much more about the comic book history of the Peacemaker, and the role he might play in The Suicide Squad, right here.

While there are multiple DC series in development at HBO Max, including Green Lantern Corps, and Strange Adventures, Peacemaker is the second one to function as a prequel to a DC movie. The other is Matt Reeves’ and Boardwalk Empire creator Terrence Winter’s untitled Gotham City series, which will take place in the years leading up to the events of The Batman.

“Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag,” James Gunn said in a statement. “I’m excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series. And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake.”

“I have said before that it has been a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity to be part of The Suicide Squad and to work with James on what is going to be a fantastic movie,” added Cena. “I am unbelievably excited to have the chance to team up with him again for Peacemaker. We can’t wait for fans to see this.”

“James Gunn has the unique ability to create an expansive universe while also bringing to life the soul and wit of each character. We look forward to a deep dive into the world of Peacemaker,” said Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO and HBO Max.

Check out this appropriately offbeat logo.

There’s no release date yet for HBO’s Peacemaker, but production is expected to begin in early 2021. Interestingly, HBO notes that Gunn will work on Peacemaker BEFORE beginning work on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 for Marvel Studios.

The Suicide Squad opens on Aug. 6, 2021. The full schedule of upcoming DC movies can be found here.