John Cena to star in 'Suicide Squad' spinoff 'Peacemaker'
Sep 24, 2020
Washington [US], September 24 : Comic book fans can rejoice as 'Suicide Squad' star, John Cena, is in line for his own streaming series.
According to Fox News, HBO Max announced on Wednesday (local time) that it has ordered a spinoff of the upcoming James Gunn film, which features the 43-year-old professional wrestler as the 'Peacemaker' from the pages of DC Comics supervillain team-up.
The eight-episode series will skip shooting a pilot and proceed right to series production.
Gunn will write all of the episodes and is said to be helming most of them, according to Deadline.
The former WWE star will also serve as a co-executive producer.
Fox News reported that the series is expected to explore the origins of Cena's 'Suicide Squad' character, whose name is Christopher Smith, a pacifist diplomat and son of a Nazi death camp commandant who fights dictators and warlords as the founder of the Pax Institute.
"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.
Gunn added,"'Peacemaker' is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world's biggest douchebag. I'm excited to expand 'The Suicide Squad' and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series."
Fox News reported that Cena is already set to star in the 'F9,' the ninth instalment of the popular 'Fast & Furious' franchise, and is also tapped to play co-host to the revival of 'Wipeout' on TBS.
Other DC Universe originals that have since moved to HBO Max include 'Doom Patrol,' 'Harley Quinn,' 'Titans,' 'Swamp Thing,' and 'Young Justice.'
Additionally, DC Comics and HBO Max recently revealed it was producing a spin-off of Matt Reeves' upcoming 'Batman' film. 'Gotham PD' will not feature the Caped Crusader but will focus on corrupt police in Batman's home town.
'Peacemaker' is currently slated to begin production in early 2021.
