'Peacemaker': 'Suicide Squad' TV Spin-Off Featuring John Cena Coming From James Gunn And HBO Max

HBO Max already has one DC-set TV spin-off in the works devoted to the Gotham City Police Department. Now they have another: Peacemaker, a series spun-off from the upcoming The Suicide Squad. John Cena will reprise the role for the series, and Suicide Squad writer-director James Gunn will write all eight episodes of the series, and direct multiple episodes, too.

HBO Max is going all-in on TV shows spun-off from upcoming DC movies. There's an untitled Gotham PD series that's a spin-off of the upcoming The Batman. And now there's Peacemaker, which will involve the world of James Gunn's upcoming The Suicide Squad. And before you start assuming this means that Peacemaker will survive the movie, just know that this show is going to a prequel. It will "explore the origins of the Peacemaker character, the master of weapons from the highly anticipated upcoming The Suicide Squad film."

The series is described as an action-adventure-comedy, and John Cena, who plays Peacemaker in the movie, will reprise the role. And director James Gunn is coming with him, with Gunn set to write all eight episodes of the series, and direct multiple episodes as well. Gunn's series will show how Peacemaker became "a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it."

"Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world's biggest douchebag," Gunn said. "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."

Cena added: "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. 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."

Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers of the series, with Cena as co-executive producer. The show will be produced by Gunn's Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television, and is scheduled to begin production in early 2021, before Gunn starts work on the next Guardians of the Galaxy film. The Suicide Squad is scheduled to hit theaters August 6, 2021.