The reimagined DC Studios, led by co-chairmen and co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, will be a major player in the 2025 movie scene. Following years of inconsistency and poorly received DCEU projects such as 2017’s Justice League, 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, 2022’s Black Adam, and 2023’s The Flash, Warner Bros. appointed the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker and the executive to bring DC’s interconnected universe back to life. In the new year, DC will release Gunn’s highly anticipated Superman movie on July 11, 2025, Peacemaker Season 2 in August, and The Sandman Season 2 on a currently unspecified date in 2025.

If DC Studios’ 2025 projects perform well in terms of critical reception, TV ratings, and box office figures, they could put the franchise back on the map. After taking a back seat to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the superhero genre for more than almost two decades, DC now has the opportunity to compete with other IPs. Simply put, 2025 is a pivotal year for DC’s present and future.

What DC Studios Has Planned in 2025

Even though DC will put out just three live-action projects in 2025, one of them is the studio’s most important movie in recent memory. The relaunch of Superman after the Henry Cavill-led and Zack Snyder-directed Man of Steel in 2013 represents DC’s embrace of an ambitious new era. David Corenswet will star as Clark Kent, the titular hero, while Rachel Brosnahan will feature alongside him as Lois Lane. The rest of Superman‘s cast incudes Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White. The recently released first trailer for Superman has comic book movie fanatics in a frenzy, as the early look at the film’s visuals and the stars in their roles look extremely promising.

Peacemaker provided a rare bright spot for DC in 2022 when the show’s first season aired on Max. The spinoff of 2021’s The Suicide Squad centers on John Cena’s character and is similarly written and directed by Gunn. Peacemaker Season 1 scored 93% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and posted an 89% audience score. Thus, Season 2 is well positioned to further push DC in a positive direction and to spearhead the universe’s TV sector. Additionally, DC’s 2025 projects may actually work well in tandem despite their differing subject material. The release of Superman only one month earlier could give Peacemaker Season 2 a boost of popularity if the movie impresses viewers.

The Sandman‘s first run on Netflix in 2022 was a major hit. Earning an 88% Rotten Tomatoes critic approval rating and 81% audience score, the series starring Tom Sturridge as the personification of dreams carries a ton of potential as its second season nears. Moreover, The Sandman Season 1 recorded encouraging viewership numbers, so it’s possible that Netflix will continue the show beyond a second season if it can repeat its feats.

Why the Performance of DC Studios’ Projects in 2025 Matters So Much

The degree to which Gunn’s Superman succeeds will decide a lot concerning the DC Universe’s future. The film’s critical and financial performances will likely determine which, as well as how many, projects DC Studios greenlight in the coming years. Superman could even prompt Gunn to end Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe and instead bring the Caped Crusader to the DCU, however, there has been no official indication that such a change will take place, and the speculation largely results from The Batman Part II‘s delay to 2027.

Superman‘s success might also offer insight into how Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which hits theaters in 2026, will be received. The upcoming title stars House of the Dragon‘s Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl. Matthias Schoenaerts and Eve Ridley have also been cast in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, set to play Krem of the Yellow Hills and Ruthye Marye Knoll, respectively.

The stakes for DC Studios can not be higher in 2025, and time will tell if Gunn, Safran, and co. are up for the challenge of restoring fans’ faith in the franchise.

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Creature Commandos just premiered on Max, which means that the brand new DC Universe has officially begun. This new franchise, spearheaded by Peter Safran and Creature Commandos creator James Gunn, will connect movies, TV shows, animated fare, and even video games, utilizing the same actors across different mediums. It all kicks off with Creature Commandos, which not only sets the stage for the entire DCU, but also directly addresses a couple of previous DC projects which are being brought into the new franchise from the previous regime.

It should come as no surprise that the two pieces of the old DC franchise that have made the leap to the new DCU are both titles that came from Gunn himself. The events of both The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1 have been canonized into the new DCU, thanks to the series premiere of Creature Commandos.

Gunn has addressed that both of those projects would be carrying over elements into the DCU, but it was still nice to see the on-screen franchise address those stories head-on, especially right out of the gate.

Early in the first episode of Creature Commandos, the show talks about the events of The Suicide Squad in a couple of different ways. Weasel, who was revealed to be a survivor of The Suicide Squad in the film’s post-credits scene, is referred to as one of the only surviving members of Project Starfish (the attack on Corto Maltese). Amanda Waller also tells Rick Flag Sr. that she’s sorry about the loss of his son, and we all know that Rick Flag Jr. was killed during the events of The Suicide Squad.

So all that to say, the events of The Suicide Squad happened in the continuity of this new DCU. The same goes for Peacemaker Season 1, which felt like even more of a given due to Peacemaker Season 2 being a part of this new franchise.

[RELATED: Frankenstein Gets a New Origin Story in Creature Commandos]

Creature Commandos addresses the ending of Peacemaker‘s first season towards the beginning of its series premiere, when it’s explained why Waller and Belle Reeve have transitioned to using the monsters instead of previous prisoners. Amanda Waller’s daughter leaked the secrets of her operation to the press. That got Task Force X shut down and Waller was told she couldn’t use human prisoners for her missions anymore. So Waller’s loophole for that rule is to use beings that aren’t considered human, aka the Creature Commandos.

Not every single thing from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker will be brought into this new DCU (such as the Justice League appearance in Peacemaker‘s Season 1 finale), but this does confirm that at least most of the events of those stories took place in this universe. Almost everything else from the DCEU will be reset for this franchise. The only other exception remaining is Blue Beetle, but we don’t know to what extent that film is being brought into the DCU. Star Xolo Maridueña will continue in his role in the DCU, there just hasn’t been any word as to whether or not the events of the Blue Beetle film will matter for his next story.

The first two episodes of Creature Commandos are now streaming on Max.

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In only two episodes, Creature Commandos has answered many of our questions about the DCU – including what is canon for James Gunn’s revamped cinematic universe. In addition, the first episode already gives us all the information we need to place Creature Commandos at a specific point in the DCU timeline.

As Waller (voiced by Viola Davis) introduces the team of monsters to Rick Flag Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo), she mentions Project Starfish and how Task Force X was sent to Corto Maltese to retrieve sensitive military information. The name is familiar because it’s the setting of Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Waller also tells Flag that ARGUS is watching her every step to prevent her from putting human inmates at risk ever since her daughter leaked her black ops to the media. That happened in the finale of Peacemaker Season 1 when Leota (Danielle Brooks) chooses her team over her mother’s machinations.

With just a few throwaway lines, Creature Commandos confirms the main events of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker remain canon in the DCU, which already gives us some clues on how to piece together the new timeline. Gunn revealed before The Suicide Squad‘s release that the movie takes place in 2021, the same year it hit theaters. Peacemaker kicks off five months later, after John Cena’s titular vigilante is released from the hospital. That places the first season of Peacemaker likely in 2022. The last piece of the puzzle comes from Creature Commandos. 

Rick Flag tells Princess Illana (voiced by Maria Bakalova) that his son, Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), died about two years before the animated series takes place. Since Waller also mentions that Flag Jr. died during the Corto Maltese mission, we know the DCU is reusing most — if not all — of Gunn’s previous DC adaptations. That means Creature Commandos is taking place – at the earliest – in mid-2023, or early-2024 at the latest. This is critical information, as it hints at how Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 will fit into the timeline.

Creature Commandos Reveals How Superman & Peacemaker S2 Fit Into the DCU Timeline

Gunn has already confirmed that the release dates of Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2 define their place in the DCU timeline. So Superman takes place at least two years after the events of The Suicide Squad, if not more. That’s interesting because the leader of the Task Force X operation in Corto Maltese was Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, who was serving time in Belle Reve for shooting the Man of Steel with a Kryptonite bullet. We know Superman will star David Corenswet as a well-established Son of Krypton; however, until now, we had no idea how long Superman would have been active in the DCU before his solo movie. Thanks to Creature Commandos, we know that Superman has to have three or four years of crime fighting under his belt before his solo movie takes place.

Superman had to be active in Metropolis before he became a target for Bloodsport. Bloodsport, in turn, had to spend at least a few months in Belle Reve before The Suicide Squad, as the movie tells us he had already refused a position in Task Force X before being sent to Corto Maltese. Add two more years until Creature Commandos, plus the gap between the animated series and Superman, and we can safely assume that Clark Kent donned his cape for the first time around four years before the upcoming movie. That’s a long time to fill with stories, so we can also presume that a lot has happened behind the scenes in Gunn’s DCU, not only for Superman but for the Justice League as a whole.

The timeline implications for Peacemaker Season 2 are even more interesting. The first footage of Season 2 implies the entire Operation Butterfly team is still in touch after they saved Earth from an alien invasion. It would be safe to assume that Season 2 occurs just a few months after Season 1. However, considering the new Creature Commandos information, there’s a considerable time jump of at least two years. 

Operation Butterfly saved the world about six months after The Suicide Squad. Creature Commandos takes place about two years after the Corto Maltese Operation. So, since Season 2 of Peacemaker happens after Superman, which is set after Creature Commandos, we are looking for a two-year break between the plotlines of Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker. That’s quite a long time!

It will be interesting to see how Season 2 of Peacemaker explains this two-year hiatus and shows what its characters did during that time. Hopefully, there will be a clear explanation, lest the DCU already starts with a flawed and inconsistent timeline.

New episodes of Creature Commandos hit MAX every Thursday until January 9, 2025.

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John Cena and Jennifer Holland have finished filming Peacemaker Season 2. Showrunner James Gunn announced this big step on Saturday via Instagram, along with a photo of each of the actors on set. With the stars’ parts finished, Gunn revealed that there was only one day of filming left for the season as a whole.

“And that’s #Peacemaker Season Two wrap on @johncena & @jenniferlholland, who both turned in wonderful performances this season as Christopher Smith and Emilia Harcourt,” Gunn wrote. “To top it off, shooting yesterday was one of the most fun days of shooting I have EVER had! Thanks to the incredible people of Savannah, Georgia for making the Peacemaker crew’s stay here so special. ONE DAY LEFT!”

The post picked up over 51,000 likes overnight, and a lot of excited comments as well. Fans were overjoyed to see a photo of Cena sitting at a piano once again, even if the casual behind-the-scenes pictures didn’t tease much of what is coming. Peacemaker Season 2 will take place after Gunn’s upcoming Superman film, and will be a part of the new DCU continuity.

Peacemaker debuted in 2022 on Max – then known as HBO Max. It’s a spinoff of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad, following Cena’s character Peacemaker as he is assigned to work for a different secret agency, A.R.G.U.S. Holland plays an A.R.G.U.S. agent assigned to work with Peacemaker on “Project Butterfly.” Other stars include Danielle Brooks as A.R.G.U.S. head Leota Adebayo, Fredy Stroma as Adrian Chase – a.k.a. Vigilante, Chukwudi Iwuji as Project Butterfly leader Clemson Murn, Steve Agee as agent John Economos and Robert Patrick as Peacemaker’s father Auggie Smith – a.k.a. White Dragon.

Launching the DCU

A lot has changed for DC Comics adaptations since then, and Peacemaker will be one of the few projects carried over from the DCEU to the DCU. Gunn and Peter Safran were promoted to co-CEOs of DC Studios shortly after Peacemaker Season 2 was announced, and they revealed early on that they would continue this series through their “soft reboot.” However, the DCU continuity will get its grand start with a new Superman movie premiering on July 11, 2025. It will star David Corenswet as Clark Kent.

Peacemaker Season 2 will be the second DCU release, premiering in August of 2025. The exact date has not been released yet, but we know the show will stream exclusively on Max, where Season 1 is available now.

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James Gunn’s recent confirmation that Peacemaker‘s first season remains canon in the DCU, excluding one scene, opens up fascinating possibilities for the franchise’s future. The series follows Christopher Smith’s (John Cena) adventures after the events of The Suicide Squad, exploring the antihero adventures in a world filled with metahumans. So, the decision to canonize the show validates the existence of numerous DC characters while providing crucial insight into the universe Gunn and Peter Safran are building.

Peacemaker Main Cast Is Now DCU Canon

The most obvious additions to DCU canon are the show’s main characters. In the show, Christopher Smith/Peacemaker worked alongside Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), John Economos (Steve Agee), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) — Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) daughter. Season 1 also featured Judomaster (Nhut Le) as a villain hired to protect the alien species known as Butterflies. However, the Peacemaker character who tells us the most about the state of the DCU is White Dragon (Robert Patrick), Peacemaker’s father.

August “Auggie” Smith, also known as White Dragon, represents one of the DCU’s first confirmed supervillains. As a former vigilante turned white supremacist, his existence suggests a darker history of costumed activity predating the current era. This aligns perfectly with Gunn’s vision of the DCU as a lived-in universe where superhuman activity isn’t a new phenomenon.

Confirmed Justice League Members

Peacemaker’s constant criticism of superheroes reveals several Justice League members are active in the DCU. During his rants about “real heroes,” Smith specifically mentions Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman, and The Flash, suggesting these heroes have been operating long enough to become household names.

Gunn’s DCU will start its theatrical run with Superman, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. In addition, Wonder Woman’s homeland, Themyscira, is the setting of the upcoming Paradise Lost TV show. However, Aquaman, The Flash, and Green Arrow have not been confirmed as part of a DCU project. But if Peacemaker knows all their names, abilities, and status as renowned heroes, we can expect to see them further down the line.

The Batman Universe Connection

While arguing against Batman’s effectiveness in crimefighting, Peacemaker reveals that the Dark Knight is active and has a well-established rogues’ gallery. When accused of being a murderer, Peacemaker gets angry and says Batman’s no-kill rule is more damaging to society, as villains such as Riddler and Mad Hatter are put behind bars so that they can escape and wreak havoc in Gotham again.

Edward Nigma, aka Riddler, needs no introduction. The psychopath with a penchant for puzzles has been one of Batman’s most recognizable villains since his comic debut in 1948’s Detective Comics #140. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, Riddler often torments the World’s Greatest Detective with cunning riddles, punishing his failure with the death of innocent people. 

As for Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, the villain was created by Bill Finger, Lew Sayre Schwartz, and Bob Kane for 1948’s Batman #49. Using mind-controlling technology, Mad Hatter feeds on his obsession with Alice in Wonderland by performing crimes inspired by the beloved children’s book.

Peacemaker’s throwaway line about Batman’s villains confirms Riddler and Mad Hatter have been active long enough to threaten Gotham more than once. It’s exciting to learn these villains are part of the DCU, but the real revelation is that Batman has been fighting crime for many years. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have built a reputation as someone who allows villains to get out of jail repeatedly.

The DCU D-List

Throughout Peacemaker Season 1, Christopher name-drops several lesser-known heroes, revealing some of the DCU’s weirdest individuals. For starters, we have Darrell Dane, aka Doll Man, who debuted in 1939’s Feature Comics #27 as Quality Comics’ first superhero. Created by Will Eisner, this scientist-turned-superhero can shrink to six inches while maintaining full-sized strength, suggesting size-changing technology has existed in the DCU for years.

Another villain confirmed by Peacemaker is Kite-Man, real name Charles “Chuck” Brown, who first appeared in 1960’s Batman #133 by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang. Despite being widely considered a joke villain, Kite-Man has been spending a lot of time in the spotlight thanks to the Harley Quinn animated series, going as far as getting his spin-off show.

Finally, we have Matter-Eater Lad, a hero with the incredible ability to eat any substance. Born Tenzil Kem on the planet Bismoll, Matter-Eater Lad debuted in 1963’s Adventure Comics #303 by Jerry Siegel and John Forte. In the comic books, Matter-Eater Lad is an alien and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, elements that can now be incorporated into the DCU.

The Fifth-Dimensional Imp

The show’s most surprising confirmation comes when Peacemaker references Bat-Mite, a fifth-dimensional being who first appeared in 1959’s Detective Comics #267 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff. This reality-warping imp’s existence validates multiple dimensions within the DCU. Described by Peacemaker as “Batman’s biggest fan from another dimension,” Bat-Mite’s presence suggests the DCU will embrace even its most outlandish concepts, including beings with near-omnipotent powers who meddle in superhero affairs for entertainment.

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The DCU is officially about to start with the release of Creature Commandos, but James Gunn has already confirmed that the first season of Peacemaker will be canon in the new universe. Well, most of it.

In an interview with IGN, Gunn explicitly spoke about the canon status of Peacemaker, confirming that John Cena’s antihero series will still have happened in the DCU’s continuity. That’s not exactly a surprise. 

First of all, Gunn is overseeing the production of Season 2 of Peacemaker as part of the DCU, so the first season had to fit into the universe somehow. Furthermore, the Creature Commandos trailer confirmed that Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is using monsters as soldiers because she’s not allowed to use humans anymore. That’s a likely consequence of Waller’s secret becoming public domain after her daughter, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), talked to the press at the end of Peacemaker Season 1.

Nevertheless, while Gunn’s comments officially brought Peacemaker into DCU canon, he opened a new can of worms. That’s because the DC Studios co-head revealed that the Justice League cameo will be scrapped from the timeline and that Season 2 will directly address the change.

How Can Season 2 of Peacemaker Erase the Justice League Cameo?

After Peacemaker and his team manage to end the Butterflies’ invasion, the Justice League arrives at the scene, too late to help. The joke is that Earth’s mightiest heroes were not called for backup fast enough, giving low-tier vigilantes the time to clean up the alien mess. It makes sense this scene is no longer canon, as Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash are not part of the DCU. This raises the question of how Season 2 can address this incongruity, erase the cameo, and still make sense.

The way we see it, Gunn has three potential paths to follow. The messy one is to introduce a multiversal change in Season 2 of Peacemaker, making its titular character move to a different timeline where everything but that scene happened. That would be problematic, as it can confuse people who don’t care about the change in command that happened when Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios.

Another possibility is that Gunn will reshoot the scene with characters and actors already confirmed as part of the DCU. So, instead of Miller’s Scarlet Speedster, the new version of the cameo could feature David Corenswet’s Superman. Or maybe even some less important heroes, such as Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho.

The easiest way to deal with it is to have Peacemaker recap the events of Season 1 and have someone else interrupt him and explain that the cameo never happened. It’s just a lie John likes to tell to inflate his ego, as he wants people to believe he stood his moral ground against the mighty Justice League. That’s a simple solution that fits the humorous tone of the show while being enough to retcon a single scene.

More importantly, though, if the rest of Peacemaker is canon, Gunn inadvertently confirms the DCU existence of multiple heroes and villains mentioned during the show. That includes wacky characters such as Bat-Mite, Doll Man, Matter-Eater Lad, and Kite-Man (Hell yeah!). We can’t wait to see how it all comes together.

Creature Commandos will premiere on Max on December 5th. Season 2 of Peacemaker is scheduled for August 2025.

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Bringing awesome characters to the screen comes with some great perks. Not only is it creatively satisfying to tell stories to fans around the world, but it also gives you some sweet opportunities as a collector. Just ask James Gunn! The new creative force behind DC Studios brought John Cena’s Peacemaker to life in his acclaimed 2021 film The Suicide Squad, before spinning the character out into his own solo TV series on Max. Between those two projects, Cena’s take on the anti-hero has become one of the most popular characters in recent on-screen DC history, and that popularity has resulted in a phenomenal looking statue from the folks at Sideshow.

Gunn recently took to social media to share a look at a new Peacemaker statue that Sideshow sent to him, and it’s an absolutely beauty. The only problem, as Gunn notes in his post, is that the statue is one of only two like it in existence, meaning that none of us are going to be able to get our hands on one.

The statue depicts Cena’s Peacemaker riding Eagley into battle, tossing up a “rock on” sign with his free hand (reminiscent of the killer rock-and-roll soundtrack that Gunn put together in Peacemaker Season 1). Instead of being in full color, this Peacemaker statue is completely bronze, making it look even cooler — and more expensive.

Gunn notes in his post that the statue is one of only two produced by Sideshow, though he doesn’t say who has possession of the other. Perhaps it’s somewhere in the Sideshow offices. Then again, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn it was sent over to John Cena.

[RELATED: First Peacemaker Season 2 Footage Revealed in Max Sneak Peek]

The second season of Peacemaker is on the way, and this time will be under the umbrella of DC Studios and the new DCU. While many of the recent live-action iterations of DC characters are being recast for a fresh start in this new franchise, the cast of Peacemaker is being carried over into this connected universe. Cena is reprising his role in the DCU, alongside Danielle Brooks (Adebayo), Freddie Stroma (Vigilante), Jennifer Holland (Emilia Harcourt), and Steve Agee (John Economos). More leftovers from Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad could pop up in the DCU moving forward, but there’s no telling exactly who will be joining the franchise.

We also don’t know exactly when Peacemaker Season 2 is going to be released on Max. It is coming at some point in 2025, but fans shouldn’t expect it to arrive until the second half of the year. The show’s events follow what takes place in Gunn’s Superman film, which hits theaters on July 11, 2025. Given that timeline, Gunn has said that Peacemaker will debut sometime after Superman.

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James Gunn is clearing up confusion about the new DC Universe after fans noticed a minor discrepancy between Creature Commandos and Peacemaker. Ahead of the final episode of The Penguin, Max on Sunday debuted a sizzle reel revealing a look at the new Max and HBO shows set to premiere on the service in 2025, including season 2 of the DC Studios series Peacemaker. The footage offered a glimpse at Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. (father of Joel Kinnaman’s Suicide Squad character Rick Flag Jr.), who will first appear in the adult animated series Creature Commandos before making his live-action debut in the Superman movie written and directed by Gunn.

Asked whether Grillo’s black hair indicates Peacemaker season 2 takes place before Creature Commandos — the animated version of Grillo’s character is silver-haired with matching beard — Gunn clarified that the inconsistency is due to Grillo’s role as Bill Bevilaqua on Tulsa King season 2. Both shows began filming in April 2024 in Georgia.

RELATED: James Gunn Explains the New DCU Canon – And How It References the Old DCEU

“[Peacemaker 2] is after [Superman] which is after [Creature Commandos],” Gunn wrote on Threads. The three projects are set in order of release: Creature Commandos season 1 (Dec. 5 on Max), followed by Superman (July 11, 2025 in theaters) and Peacemaker season 2 (later in 2025 on Max).

In 2023, the DC Studios co-chief announced that actors cast in the DCU would play their characters in animation and live-action. Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. will be the first character to make the jump from animation when he shows up in Superman and then Peacemaker.

“He is a really cool character that Frank has been molding,” Gunn previously told EW of the character linking all three projects. “The character’s also in Superman, and he’s an incredibly important part in Peacemaker.”

“He is one of the primary characters in Peacemaker season 2. So we get to see this character from different angles, and he is not simple,” Gunn noted. “This isn’t just a good guy, not at all. We see all different sides of his character. He is morally a complex human being. Grillo is somebody who I’ve known for a little while, and I’ve wanted to work with him for a long time. He was one of the first people that I talked to when I took over the studio, like ‘we’re going to find something cool for you,’ and now he is everywhere.”

RELATED: Everything James Gunn Revealed About the New DCU at NYCC

As for any continuity concerns, Gunn has assured fans the new DCU canon “won’t be confusing.” While Creature Commandos is the first series set in the new universe, it’s Superman that marks the “true start” of the DCU. While some of the events depicted in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 may be canon, the projects themselves are not.

“There are references to things that happened in the past, and those references then become canon in the DCU because we mention them,” Gunn explained at New York Comic Con.

Written and created by Gunn, the seven-episode Creature Commandos follows a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. In addition to Grillo as Flag Sr., the series features the voices of Zoe Chao (The Afterparty) as Nina Mazursky, David Harbour (Thunderbolts*) as Frankenstein, Indira Varma (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) as The Bride, Alan Tudyk (Moana 2) as Dr. Phosphorus, and Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) as Weasel and GI Robot.

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Team Peacemaker is back in action. Ahead of Sunday’s season (or series?) finale of The Penguin, Max premiered a first look at another DC series coming to the streaming service in 2025: Peacemaker season 2. In-between glimpses of the Dune prequel Dune: Prophecy, the IT prequel Welcome to Derry, The Last of Us season 2, and Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is footage from the sophomore season of the James Gunn-created series, which is set in the new DC Universe after the events of Gunn’s Superman movie.

“No matter how far away we are from each other, no one will ever break us apart,” John Cena’s Christopher Smith says over footage of the “11th Street Kids” gang toasting with beers: Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), John Economos (Steve Agee), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), and Adrian Chase / Vigilante (Freddie Stroma). Watch the just-released sizzle reel below.

RELATED: The New DCU Canon Explained by James Gunn

Sandwiched between shots of a bloody bar fight and Peacemaker knifing someone in the throat is the first look at Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) — the father of former Task Force X leader Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), who was killed by Peacemaker in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Grillo will first voice Rick Flag Sr. in the Max animated series Creature Commandos before appearing in Superman (set to open in theaters on July 11, 2025), and Peacemaker season 2 (streaming the second half of 2025).

“What you got to understand and keep in mind is I’m the guy who plays Peacemaker,” Cena recently told Variety about the nearly four-year wait between seasons. “So when we come out with a show and it’s the No. 1 show on Max and, finally, we take a character who is supposed to be dead [after The Suicide Squad], bring Peacemaker back to life, and people enjoy the universe and want to see more of it — but then you have a shift in the structure of who is calling the shots over at DC.”

“James and Peter [Safran] actually both called me and said, ‘You know what, we want to take some time to do this right. But it’s just going to take a little time,’” Cena said. “So it was crazy to know we did something people want, they want more of it, let’s do it again. And everybody’s like, ‘No wait, we just got to do a few things first. And we have this whole plan, and it’s all going to work together. So if you just trust us, we’ll be okay.’ And it seems like forever ago, now that we’re filming every day, it seems like it will be just right around the corner that we’re watching season 2.”

RELATED: Everything James Gunn Revealed About Creature Commandos, Peacemaker Season 2 and the New DCU at NYCC

DC Studios’ Creature Commandos debuts on Max Dec. 5. Superman is slated for July 2025 as the first film of the new DCU canon, with Peacemaker season 2 confirmed to release later next year.

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James Gunn is already working on the anticipated second season to Peacemaker, but that’s not the only Peacemaker project he’s working on. Today DC announced that Gunn will be a story consultant on the new five-issue series Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature, which is helmed by the creative teams of Tim Seeley and Mitch Gerads (Vigilante) and Rex Ogle and Matteo Lolli (Eagly). The series ties right into the show as well, as it is set between Peacemaker seasons one and two, giving fans an idea of what is in store when the second season hits Max in 2025, though it also deals with the fallout from season one, including the disappearance of Peacemaker.

In the Vigilante story, Adrian heads to Peacemaker’s house to hang out but finds that Chris and Eagly are gone. He assumes the worst, thinking they’ve been taken, so he suits up and starts with his local criminal community to figure out where they are, and there will likely be quite a bit of bloodshed as he looks to find answers. Making this all the more ironic is that Chris and Eagly are not captured at all, but on vacation in Alaska, with Chris simply forgetting to ask Adrian along.
 
“I’m in my Vigilante era,” said artist Mitch Gerads on the Vigilante (without Peacemaker) half of the double feature. “I have 100 Taylor Swift friendship bracelets to trade—they’re in Vigilante colors and say ‘Vigilante S***.’ Come find me at NYCC and join the fun.”
 
“Awkward. Clueless. Possibly psychotic. Obsessed with destroying furniture. That’s Mitch Gerads,” said writer Tim Seeley. “Oh…wait? You mean you want me to describe Adrian Chase, Vigilante? Oh, sure. He’s the coolest dude ever and he smashes so many chicks. Also, he’s a great friend, and definitely not a serial-killing busboy. Peacemaker is lucky to call him “bro,” and Mitch and I are lucky to continue his horrifically violent adventures at DC Comics.”

On the Eagly side of things, we see things from Chris’ point of view as they vacation in Alaska. Unfortunately, things do go sideways when everyone on their plane is gassed and knocked out. When they wake up they are being hunted for sport by a mysterious group of supervillains, which is not at all what this vacation was supposed to be. Thing is, the villains don’t know what they’ve gotten into either, as none of them expected for Peacemaker to be one of the people they were hunting.
 
“When [DC editor] Katie Kubert asked me to do a short for DC’s Strange Love Adventures, I was stoked to write a Peacemaker story,” said writer Rex Ogle on the Eagly (and Peacemaker) half of the double feature. “So getting to dive back in and play with this iconic antihero again (and in a miniseries this time!) is a total dream. Part of what makes him so great is that at his core, Peacemaker is a hopeless optimist. He wants the world to be a better place, not just for himself, but for others. He doesn’t always go about achieving peace in the right way, but he brings an incredible levity to the violence that is already ever-present in our world. And sometimes we need to laugh at the bad—so we don’t break down and cry.”
 
“Bringing Peacemaker and Eagly to life in a comic is like unleashing chaos and heart on every page,” said artist Matteo Lolli. “Rex was able to both capture their funny bond and make for a perfect mix of action and humor. Drawing Peacemaker is obviously a blast, but capturing a character that doesn’t speak? Not easy. And what if this character happens to be a bird to whom nature gave by default a stern and angry look? That’s a whole other challenge, and I wasn’t sure I could deliver it without the right kind of script. Luckily for me, Rex did a fantastic job with it. It’s pure fun to see their unpredictable dynamic unleashed in this new adventure.”
 
“I write a ton of books and graphic novels for middle grade and young adult readers, which I love,” continued Ogle, “but there’s nothing quite like returning to my comic book roots to work on something where I can unleash my inner creative beast. Writing Christopher Smith lets me do just that—go buck wild—not just with some good ol’ fashioned violence, but with humor and unnecessary nudity. Peacemaker lets me live the dream of writing stories I wanted to read as a kid.”

Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature! features a Vigilante story by writer Tim Seeley, artist Mitch Gerads, and letterer Pat Brosseau, and an Eagly story by writer Rex Ogle, artist Matteo Lolli, colorist John Kalisz, and letterer Pat Brosseau, with story consulting by James Gunn. The first issue will hit stores in March and will carry DC’s Ages 17+ content descriptor for mature readers. It will also have main covers by Gerads.

Are you excited for the new Peacemaker double feature? You can talk all things DC and comics with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

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Filming continues to be underway on the second season of Peacemaker, one of the most-anticipated titles of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. While we already know a number of new and returning faces who will appear in the show’s latest episodes, a new behind-the-scenes look from Gunn has complicated things in an intriguing way.

On Wednesday, Gunn took to social media to share a photo of a male character, shrouded in silhouette, sitting in front of a campfire on Peacemaker‘s set. Gunn captioned the photo “Who might this be?”, inviting fans to speculate about who the mystery person could be — and whether or not they are an established part of DC canon.

Who Is Peacemaker Season 2’s Mystery Character?

Looking at the lore of DC’s comics, there are plenty of possible contenders for Peacemaker‘s mystery man. Fans have already begun to theorize that the character could be a number of DC’s different Native American protagonists, beginning with Apache Chief, who can grow his body to different sizes and was created by Alex Toth for Hanna-Barbera’s Super Friends animated series. The concept of Apache Chief later inspired characters in other media, including Long Shadow in the Justice League Unlimited animated series, and Manitou Raven in 2002’s JLA comic series. There is also the short-lived Firestorm antagonist Black Bison, who already made his live-action debut on The Flash television show. The lighter hair does throw a wrinkle into those theories, as the mystery man is either older with graying white hair, or is supposed to be younger with blonde hair.

Another possibility, albeit a more eccentric one, is that the man could secretly be Travis Morgan / Warlord. Created by Mike Grell in 1975’s 1st Issue Special #8, Morgan is a former Air Force pilot who is accidentally marooned in Skartaris, a subterranean pocket dimension believed to be hidden in the center of the Earth. During his years of time there, Morgan is embraced as a champion of Skartaris, going on a multitude of adventures as a sword-and-sorcery hero. While the costume in Gunn’s photo is a bit more natural-looking than Warlord’s usual comic-accurate ensemble, that would be an effective way to potentially translate him into live-action (and leave room for an upgrade later on). Given Morgan’s past with the government, it also wouldn’t be out of the question for him to have some sort of tie to the organization Checkmate, which has been heavily rumored to appear in the new DCU.

Who Is in the Cast of Peacemaker Season 2?

Plot details are currently unknown about Peacemaker‘s sophomore season. John Cena will continue to lead the series as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, with Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo.

New cast members for Peacemaker Season 2 will include Sol Rodríguez as Sasha Bordeaux, Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury, and David Denman in a currently-unknown role. Frank Grillo is also confirmed to be reprising his role as Rick Flag, Sr. from the forthcoming Creature Commandos animated series, as well as Gunn’s Superman movie.

Season 2 of Peacemaker is expected to debut on HBO Max at some point in 2025.

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Arrow star Stephen Amell took aim at new DC Studios co-chief James Gunn in a new podcast interview, saying that he felt Arrow was routinely disrespected by the people behind DC’s movies and Gunn’s series Peacemaker. Amell, who played Oliver Queen/Green Arrow from 2012 until 2023 in Arrow and its various spinoffs, has apparently seen Peacemaker now and isn’t too pleased about a joke made at Green Arrow’s expense. In an episode of the series, Peacemaker says to Vigilante that Green Arrow “goes to Brony conventions dressed as the back half of Twilight Sparkle,” with a hold drilled into the back of the costume. 

Peacemaker made a number of such off-color jokes about characters including Wonder Woman and Aquaman, who had brief cameos in the season finale. After initially saying he had not yet seen the episode, Amell now says that he has, and wasn’t a fan.

“That was a little unnecessary,” Amell told Chris Van Vliet on YouTube. “I didn’t f—ing appreciate that at all….Okay. I am just going to come right out and say this. There was just such…between the movies and Peacemaker a little bit, our show was kind of treated like s–t. I get it, we’re on The CW, I get it, it’s TV. But I also get the fact that when people think about the most recent iteration of DC, they don’t think about the Snyder Cut – they think about the Arrowverse. We got crapped on for years, and years, and years, and this just seemed excessive. I’m not actually mad, but I just remember hearing that and just being like, ‘F–k those guys,’ like seriously. I’m up here. I’m working just as hard as anyone else. Do you know how hard it is to play a superhero with no superpowers for 23 episodes a year? It’s really, really, really hard, and I’m not looking for a prize, but, like, maybe don’t s–t on our show.” 

While Amell’s initial response was to take a shot at John Cena for the laughs, he admitted that he isn’t actually upset with the actor, praising Cena and instead saying that if he should be angry with anyone, it’s Gunn, who wrote the line.

“I’ve met John a handful of times, and there couldn’t be a nicer, more genuine person,” Amell said. “If I should be mad at anyone, it should be James Gunn for writing that in the first place. But [John Cena] could not be a nicer guy. It’s not a personal vendetta against [Cena].”

The Arrowverse was the fans’ colloquial name for a shared DC Universe of live-action TV series. Arrow was the first, followed by The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. Superman & Lois spun out of the events of 2020’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event series, becoming the final show set in the multiverse of Arrow (although they later relocated the series away from the shared Earth on which the other shows took place).

The relationship between Warner Bros.’ DC movies and the Arrowverse was always an odd one. Arrow launched the year before Man of Steel,  creating two separate live-action DC Universes that were running at the same time. Because the movies were what Warner Bros. prioritized, the studio would periodically disrupt Arrowverse storylines and remove characters, notably members of the Suicide Squad, who had a bigger role planned for Arrow. When Justice League hit theaters in 2017, it coincided with Crisis on Earth-X, the most popular Arrowverse crossover series, and resulted in thousands of fans on social media unfavorably comparing the $300 million movie to the TV  miniseries.

Fans had hoped for characters from the Arrowverse to show up in the movies, especially after Ezra Miller’s Flash appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths and met Grant Gustin’s Flash. That never happened, though, and the filmmakers behind The Flash have said that bringing Gustin and John Wesley Shipp in was never seriously considered.

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The dance party of Peacemaker is one step closer to being back on our television screens, as the Max series is currently in the middle of filming on its second season. The live-action series, which stars John Cena in the titular role of Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, is expected to shift into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, and fans have been eager to see exactly what that entails. While it sounds like Peacemaker‘s second season will not arrive until the latter half of 2025, new comments from Cena hint that it will be more than worth the wait. In a recent interview with Variety, Cena provided an update on how Peacemaker‘s sophomore season is going, and teased that the premiere of these new episodes could be “right around the corner.”

“What you got to understand and keep in mind is I’m the guy who plays Peacemaker,” Cena explained. “So when we come out with a show and it’s the No. 1 show on Max and, finally, we take a character who is supposed to be dead, bring Peacemaker back to life, and people enjoy the universe and want to see more of it — but then you have a shift in the structure of who is calling the shots over at DC. James and Peter actually both called me and said, ‘You know what, we want to take some time to do this right. But it’s just going to take a little time.’ So it was crazy to know we did something people want, they want more of it, let’s do it again. And everybody’s like, ‘No wait, we just got to do a few things first. And we have this whole plan, and it’s all going to work together. So if you just trust us, we’ll be okay.’ And it seems like forever ago, now that we’re filming every day, it seems like it will be just right around the corner that we’re watching Season 2.”

What Is Peacemaker Season 2 About?

Plot details are currently unknown about Peacemaker‘s sophomore season, which is currently filming and is set to debut on Max at a later date. John Cena will continue to lead the series as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, with Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo.

New cast members for Peacemaker Season 2 will include Sol Rodríguez as Sasha Bordeaux, Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury, and David Denman in a currently-unknown role. Frank Grillo is also confirmed to be reprising his role as Rick Flag, Sr. from the forthcoming Creature Commandos animated series.

Is James Gunn Directing Peacemaker Season 2?

Gunn has already confirmed that, thanks to his schedule filming DC Studios’ Superman movie, he will not be able to direct as much of Peacemaker Season 2. He previously helmed the first, second, third, sixth, and eighth episodes of Peacemaker‘s first season.

“Yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & #Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some),” Gunn previously confirmed on social media.

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If ya really wanna taste of Peacemaker season 2, you’ll have to wait for James Gunn’s Superman. After confirming that the second season of The Suicide Squad spinoff series will be grandfathered into the DC Universe canon — which will kick off with the Max animated series Creature Commandos in December, before Superman officially launches the new DCU — the DC Studios co-chief revealed that John Cena’s chrome-helmeted anti-hero won’t return until after the Man of Steel reboot takes flight in July 2025.

Season 2 of Peacemaker will air in “2025 after Superman,” Gunn announced on Threads. The new season “follows the events” of the first DC Studios film, which tells the story of a younger Kal-El (Twisters‘ David Corenswet, taking over from Henry Cavill) and “Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonianheritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” according to the official synopsis. 

Plot details remain locked away in Belle Reve, but announced cast members include the return of Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, daughter of Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller; Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante; Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee as A.R.G.U.S. Agents Emilia Harcourt and John Economos; and new cast members Sol Rodríguez (Star Trek: Picard), Tim Meadows (Saturday Night Live), and David Denman (Brightburn), with Frank Grillo reprising his role from Creature Commandos and Superman as Rick Flag Sr. 

In July, Gunn announced the DCU order is as follows: Creature Commandos (December 2024), Superman (July 2025), and Peacemaker season 2 (TBA 2025). “All of these initial projects are happening in the order they’re released,” Gunn said of the DC Studios slate, which includes the undated Max series Waller, HBO’s Green Lantern series, the comedy series Booster Gold, the Game of Thrones-inspired Wonder Woman spinoff Paradise Lost, andthe upcoming feature films Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (dated for June 26th, 2026), The Authority, Batman reboot The Brave and the Bold, Swamp Thing, and Teen Titans.

“Nothing is ‘in production’ unless it’s been greenlit. Right nowthat’s Superman, Supergirl, Penguin, Peacemaker, Lanterns, and a handfulof animated projects,” Gunn shared on Threads, adding that announced and unannounced projects will only go into production “once we have a script or scripts we think are great and readyto shoot, never before.” 

Peacemaker season 1 is streaming now on Max (formerly HBO Max).

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Production continues on Peacemaker season 2 and a fresh look at John Cena’s new gear has arrived from a surprise set photo. James Gunn, DC Studios CO-CEO and creator of the Peacemaker TV Series, today continued his trend of paying tribute to the origins of the big screen characters in the pages of comics. Today marked the anniversary of the first appearance of Peacemaker, who made hits debut in Fightin’ 5 #40. Gunn took to social media to pay tribute to the character’s debut issue and to hype up the next season of the TV series with a tease of a new helmet for Cena’s Peacemaker. 

“On this day, #Peacemaker aka Christopher Smith made his first comic appearance in Fightin’ 5 #40, in 1966, created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette,” Gunn wrote. “It’s the role @JohnCena was born to play, and I can’t wait to show you all what we’re cooking up now for @Peacemaker Season 2!”

Fightin’ 5, where Peacemaker made his comic book debut, was originally published by Charlton Comics. When the longtime publisher eventually faded away in the 1980s, many of its characters (including Peacemaker) were purchased by DC Comics. That deal also included Captain Atom, Judo Master, The Question, and Blue Beetle; characters that would go on to become major pillars of DC’s publishing in the decades that followed. So far only one of those other characters has appeared in the Peacemaker TV series, with Nhut Le playing Judomaster in season 1, but the Jaime Reyes incarnation of Blue Beetle did star in his own solo movie (which included a tease of Charlton’s Ted Kord).

Peacemaker season 2 actually started filming as James Gunn’s Superman movie was already in the middle of production. Gunn confirmed that this meant he would not be directing the majority of the second batch of episodes, but did confirm that he would still direct “some” of Peacemaker season 2’s episodes. Additional episodes in Peacemaker season 2 will be directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) and Peter Sollett (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). 

Peacemaker season 2 has not yet confirmed and plot details about what DC fans can expect, but we do know that. John Cena will return once again as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, with Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo. In a surprise move, Robert Patrick seemingly revealed he would return as Christopher Smith’s father Auggie in the new episodes. In addition, one director appeared to confirm that Joel Kinnaman will reprise his Rick Flag role in Season 2. Fans will no doubt remember that Peacemaker actually killed Rick Flag during the events of The Suicide Squad. 

The new season of Peacemaker will introduce some new cast members including Sol Rodríguez as Sasha Bordeaux, Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury, and David Denman in a currently-unknown role.  In a major peace of connectivity to James Gunn’s larger DCU, Peacemaker season 2 will include reprising his role as Rick Flag, Sr. from the upcoming Creature Commandos animated show.

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Robert Patrick will reportedly return to reprise his role as Christopher Smith’s father Auggie in the upcoming, second season of Peacemaker. That’s something that might surprise some fans who remember his character being very dead by the time the first season ended (spoilers, sorry!), but it’s actually in line with some of the lore around Peacemaker in the comics. While that lore might not line up perfectly with the TV show — Peacemaker’s dad wasn’t a supervillain but rather an Army officer and later a politician, who taught Chris some of his earliest skills.

After Auggie’s death in Peacemaker‘s first season, the character showed up again in the season finale as a ghost, telling Christopher what a terrible person he is and essentially haunting him. That “haunting” is in line with a dynamic longtime fans of the Peacemaker comics will remember from his first DC series in the 1980s.

“I was with John [Cena] on Friday. We’re filming season 2,” Patrick said (as reported by PopVerse). He later added, “I was just working with James Gunn on Friday. James is amazing. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve met in my life. Incredible mind and just a wonderful human being. I love him and his wife Jennifer Holland. We were doing a big scene for the second season of Peacemaker on Friday right before I came here.”

While Peacemaker’s core concept as a pacifist who will get peace at any cost — even if he has to kill for it — was always his MO going back to his original creation for Charlton Comics (remember — this is the guy on whom The Comedian was based in Watchmen), the inherent conflict of that, and the way it would tear him apart and make him a little unstable, was not explored until Paul Kupperberg brought the character into the fold at DC (who bought Charlton’s assets in the 1980s). 

In Kupperberg, Tod Smith and Pablo Marcos’s 1988 Peacemaker miniseries, audiences learned that not only was Christopher frequently talking (usually arguing) with the ghost of his father, but that father had been a Nazi who died by suicide after his past and crimes came to light. That aspect of the character is one that other writers have returned to over the years, so while it might be jarring for fans of the TV show, it’s likely unsurprising to longtime readers that Patrick is back in for season two.

Peacemaker is now in production for a likely 2025 release.

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James Gunn’s Superman movie may have recently wrapped production, but that doesn’t mean the filmmaker gets a break. On Thursday, Gunn took to Threads and replied to a fan asking if he was taking a short break following wrapping on Superman or if he’d be moving on to another project right away. In his response, Gunn explained that there’s plenty of post-production work on Superman to be done and it’s something that he’ll be working on while shooting the second season of Peacemaker.

“Post production — editing, sound, VFX, etc. — is still a full-time job, especially on a movie as gargantuan as Superman,” Gunn wrote. “I’ll be doing that while shooting some Peacemaker episodes.”

Earlier this week, Gunn shared on Instagram that production on Superman had wrapped, sharing a photo of the film’s Norway set fearing himself along with Peter Safran, David Corenswet, and members of the film’s cast and crew. The film is set to open in theaters next July.

“And that’s a wrap,” Gunn’s post reads. “God bless our cast and crew whose commitment, creativity, and hard work have brought this project to life. I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much. And the goodness and kindness and love I’ve encountered on a daily basis on the set has inspired me and thrust me forward when I felt too spent to move on my own. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor. The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set – and for that I am forever grateful. ❤️ (Photo from our first week of shooting in Svalbard Norway.)”

What is Superman About?

Per DC Studios, Superman tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and a better tomorrow, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Superman will also star Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Terence Rosemore as Otis, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe.

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Peacemaker Season 2 got a surprising update from new director Peter Sollett this morning. In addition to that reveal, Joel Kinnaman is coming back as Rick Flag in Season 2 of the Max Original series. So there’s just been a ton of work going on with DC the last couple of days. News about Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, Creature Commandos and now Peacemaker to help soften the blow of no Superman this weekend. San Diego Comic-Con rolls on tonight with The Penguin getting some spotlight. It’s a great weekend to be a fan of these characters. Now, with the reveal of Kinnaman’s involvement, the speculation around John Cena’s return to that shiny helmet will probably increase quite a bit. Check out the director’s post down below!

On Instagram Sollett wrote, “Just wrapped my first week directing @Peacemaker! Huge gratitude to @JamesGunn and Peter Safran for inviting me aboard. This is one exceptional cast and crew! Thank you @JohnCena, @TheDanielleBrooks, @SteveAgee, @JoelKinnaman, @real_timmeadows, @solrodr and Frank Grillo for the warm welcome! #DCUniverse @DCStudios #peacemaker @StreamOnMax”

Creature Commandos Begins New DC Era

Despite being an animated series, Creature Commandos is the first big title of James Gunn’s reign at the head of DC Studios. Fans got a small taste of the show and its impressive voice cast yesterday at San Diego Comic-Con. There are multiple parallel tracks running over there at DC. Matt Reeves is busy with his Batman Crime Universe. Gunn is hard at work on Superman as a kind of mission statement for what this era of DC will be. The animation side has things like Creature Commandos. Peacemaker follows after the highly-successful first season of the show. So, yeah, a lot of different irons in the fire for the blue brand. But, this fresh start kicks off in earnest with a wild concept only James Gunn could really muster.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year – a sort of aperitif to the DCU – & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” Gunn said on Threads in 2023. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

Are you surprised Kinnaman is coming back? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

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Superman (2025) director James Gunn is clarifying where the Superman reboot sits on the DC Universe timeline in relation to other upcoming franchise releases – specifically the animated series Creature Commandos and Peacemaker Season 2. 

The short answer is that Creatures Commandos will take place before the events of Superman (2025), while the events of Peacemaker Season 2 will occur after the events of Superman. 

Gunn was active on the social media platform Threads, addressing a fan question regarding rumors about what DC Studios actually has in production. Gunn made it clear that only the officially announced projects – “Superman, Supergirl, Penguin, Peacemaker, Lanterns, and a handful of animated projects – are in production, and anything else on the DCU slate that was previously announced has yet to go into production: 

Nothing is “in production” unless it’s been greenlit. Right now that’s Superman, Supergirl, Penguin, Peacemaker, Lanterns, and a handful of animated projects. But Paradise Lost like many other titles known and unknown is still in very active development – it will be in production once we have a script or scripts we think are great and ready to shoot, never before. As an aside, we aren’t officially cast on anything that isn’t greenlit.

When one fan asked “Will Peacemaker release before or after Superman?” Gunn answered “After. It follows the events of Superman.”

Another fan jumped in with the follow-up question: “Is creature commandos set before or after Superman?” to which Gunn answered, “Before. All of these initial projects are happening in the order they’re released.”

For reference: Creature Commandos is expected to debut on HBO Max late this year (December); Superman (2025) will be released in July of next year, with Peacemaker Season 2 following afterward. It seems that the content will also follow a chronological line, with Creature Commandos being set immediately after Peacemaker Season 1; then the events of Superman unfolding, followed by the events of Peacemaker Season 2. That’s not a trend that will probably last; DC fans have already speculated that a project like Paradis Lost (a look at the Amazons of Paradise Island) could jump back in time to the ancient past. 

What Is Creature Commandos About? 

According to James Gunn’s previous presentation on DCU releases: “The new series picks up directly after our Peacemaker season one finale, which leaves Waller with her hands tied operationally, meaning that she’s no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine morally questionable missions,” the filmmaker shared in his video. “Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.”

As stated: Creature Commandos will release in December; Superman has a release date of July 11, 2025; and Peacemaker Season 2 sometime later in 2025. 

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Work on the sophomore season of DC’s Peacemaker is currently underway, and it looks like a notable director is along for the ride. In a recent post on Instagram, Gunn confirmed that Superbad and Adventureland director Greg Mottola will be helming part of Peacemaker Season 2. Mottola, whose work on the TV side includes episodes of Dave, The Newsroom, and Arrested Development, will direct the second and third episodes of Peacemaker’s new season.

“Ever since seeing Daytrippers back in the ’90’s at Film Forum in NY, I’ve been a huge @gregmottolaofficial fan – through Superbad and so much more,” Gunn’s post reads. “When we needed a director for episodes two and three of Season 2 of #Peacemaker he was the first person I thought of. Can’t wait for you guys to see what we’re cooking!”

What Is Peacemaker Season 2 About?

Plot details are currently unknown about Peacemaker‘s sophomore season, which is currently filming and is set to debut on Max at a later date. John Cena will continue to lead the series as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, with Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo.

New cast members for Peacemaker Season 2 will include Sol Rodríguez as Sasha Bordeaux, Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury, and David Denman in a currently-unknown role. Frank Grillo is also confirmed to be reprising his role as Rick Flag, Sr. from the forthcoming Creature Commandos animated series.

Is James Gunn Directing Peacemaker Season 2?

Gunn has already confirmed that, thanks to his schedule filming DC Studios’ Superman movie, he will not be able to direct as much of Peacemaker Season 2. He previously helmed the first, second, third, sixth, and eighth episodes of Peacemaker‘s first season.

“Yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & #Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some),” Gunn previously confirmed on social media.

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James Gunn has confirmed that actor/comedian Tim Meadows has joined the cast of DC’s Peacemaker Season 2, in the role of Agent Langston Fleury! The character seems to be an original creation for the show, but feels very in line with the roles Meadows has played in Mean Girls (2004, 2024), Son of Zorn, and other projects. 

Meadows’ casting was confirmed in one of Gunn’s Instagram posts, which pictured him alongside Meadows and Peacemaker star Steve Agee (ARGUS agent John Econoos) with a table covered in scripts in the background. Peacemaker Season 2 has been in production for months now, but the last few days have seen Gunn dropping a flurry of new casting announcements for the show. 

The biggest news was that DC’s Creature Commandos animated series star Frank Grillo would be bringing his DC Universe character, Rick Flag Sr., into live-action for Peacemaker Season 2. That’s a pretty big deal, considering that John Cena’s Peacemaker killed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) in a brutal fight during Task Force X’s mission in Corto Maltese. Peacemaker Season 1 showed the level of guilt and remorse that Peacemaker has over killing Flag Jr. – but that probably won’t matter much when Daddy Flag comes looking for payback. Having Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. in Peacemaker Season 2 will also pull the DCEU series into the new DC Universe franchise after Creature Commandoes introduces Flag Sr. and the lore around his WWII exploits with a monster squad. That said, James Gunn has promised that the canon shift between the old DCEU and the new DCU won’t be “confusing” to fans.

Sol Rodríguez (Star Trek: Picard) and David Denman (Power Rangers) have also been announced as new Peacemaker cast additions, with Rodríguez playing Sasha Bordeaux, a member of Amanda Waller’s Checkmate intelligence agency; Denman is playing an unknown role. 

What Is Peacemaker Season 2 About?

Plot details are unknown Peacemaker‘s next season, which is currently filming and is set to debut on Max at a later date. James Gunn is doing the ambitious job of filming Peacemaker Season 2 at the same time he’s also shooting the DCU’s debut film, Superman (2025). 

“Yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & #Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some),” Gunn previously confirmed on social media. 

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A few new faces are joining the dance party of Peacemaker Season 2. On Monday, a report from The Wrap confirmed that both Sol Rodríguez and David Denman have joined the cast of Peacemaker‘s sophomore season. Denman, whose work includes The Office, Mare of Easttown, and Power Rangers, has been cast in an unknown role. Rodríguez, whose work includes Star Trek: Picard, Grachi, and Party of Five, will play Sasha Bordeaux, who is known in the comics for being a member of Checkmate and a supporting character of Batman.

Rodríguez and Denman are the latest new faces to join Peacemaker‘s sophomore season, with Frank Grillo also confirmed to be reprising his role as Rick Flag, Sr. from the forthcoming Creature Commandos animated series. Gunn subsequently took to Instagram to confirm Rodríguez and Denman’s castings.

Who Is DC’s Sasha Bordeaux?

Created by Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough in 2000’s Detective Comics #751, Sasha Bordeaux is initially introduced as the reluctant bodyguard of Bruce Wayne. After discovering Bruce’s secret identity as Batman, he becomes her apprentice and love interest, and is framed for the murder of Vesper Fairchild alongside Bruce during the Bruce Wayne: Fugitive arc. While in prison, she is saved from the brink of death by Checkmate, who take her under their wing and eventually make her the right hand to Maxwell Lord.

Sasha is then transformed into a cyborg amid Lord’s misuse of the OMAC program, donning a prosthetic robot arm and an empty metal eye socket. She eventually becomes Checkmate’s Black Queen and a love interest of Michael Holt / Mister Terrific (played by Edi Gathegi in the DC Universe), and later plays a role in “Final Crisis” and “JSA vs. Kobra.” She most recently appeared in comic canon during DC Rebirth, as a government agent tied to an evil artificial intelligence. Season 2 of Peacemaker will mark Sasha’s first appearance in any media outside of comics.

What Is Peacemaker Season 2 About?

Plot details are currently unknown about Peacemaker‘s sophomore season, which is currently filming and is set to debut on Max at a later date. John Cena will continue to lead the series as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker, with Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo.

“Yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & #Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some),” Gunn previously confirmed on social media.

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Thanks to Freddie Stroma’s portrayal in the first season of Max’s Peacemaker series, an entire new audience is endeared to the character of Adrian Chase / Vigilante — and it sounds like more is in store. A new post from Peacemaker series creator and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn celebrated the anniversary of Adrian Chase’s comic debut, as well as the larger legacy of the Vigilante mantle. In the process, Gunn confirmed that Stroma will reprise his role as Vigilante in Peacemaker‘s sophomore season — something that fans could probably safely assume, given the fact that Gunn already indicated that the character would return in 2023.

“On this date in 1982, creators @marvwolfman and George Pérez introduced Adrian Chase who would take up the mantle of Vigilante, originally created in 1941 by Mort Weisinger and Mort Meskin,” Gunn’s post reads. “Freddie Stroma as #Vigilante is returning in season two of Peacemaker!”

What Is Peacemaker Season 2 About?

Plot details are currently unknown about Peacemaker‘s sophomore season, which is currently filming and is set to debut on Max at a later date. In addition to the show’s existing ensemble cast, Frank Grillo is confirmed to be reprising his role as Rick Flag, Sr. from the forthcoming Creature Commandos animated series. 

“Yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & #Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some),” Gunn previously confirmed on social media.

Is Peacemaker Season 2 in the New DCU?

While the first season of Peacemaker was created within the DC Extended Universe, even featuring that universe’s version of the Justice League in its Season 1 finale, the show is now carrying over into Gunn and Peter Safran’s “reset” DC Universe. As Gunn has promised on the social media platform Threads, this rollout of the DCU’s canon won’t be “confusing” to fans.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos [in 2024] — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — and then a deeper dive into the universe with [Superman] after that,” Gunn shared on Threads last year. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

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Peacemaker has become one of DC’s biggest adaptations in recent memory, chronicling the R-rated exploits of John Cena’s Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. The live-action series is currently working on its second season, and given the fact that series creator James Gunn is co-CEO of the upcoming DC Universe of movies and Max-exclusive television shows, some have wondered if Cena will appear elsewhere in the franchise. During a recent appearance at Comicpalooza, Cena did not offer a public comment on that possibility, joking that he doesn’t want to make Gunn angry.

“Do you know who James Gunn is?” Cena answered with a laugh. “He’s got this look when you make him mad. And it’s actually indescribable, but I don’t want to see it ever again. So I’m just gonna say… no comment.”

Is Peacemaker Season 2 in the New DCU?

While the first season of Peacemaker was created within the DC Extended Universe, even showing that universe’s version of the Justice League, it has been confirmed that it will be a part of Gunn and Peter Safran’s “reset” DC Universe. As Gunn has promised on the social media platform Threads, this rollout of the DCU’s canon won’t be “confusing” to fans.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos [in 2024] — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — and then a deeper dive into the universe with [Superman] after that,” Gunn shared on Threads last year. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

What Is On the DC Universe Slate?

As Gunn and Safran revealed in early 2023, the initial DC Studios slate for “Gods and Monsters” will include movies for Superman, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series. Reports have also indicated that a live-action Teen Titans movie and an animated Jurassic League movie are in the works.

“A lot of people think it’s going to be Marvel 2.0, and definitely I learned a lot of stuff at Marvel. I think that we have a lot of differences,” Gunn explained at the time. “We are telling a big, huge, central story that is like Marvel, except for, I think that we’re a lot more planned out than Marvel from the beginning because we’ve gotten a group of writers together to work that story out completely. But we’re also creating a universe that is like Star Wars, where there’s different times, different places, different things, or Game of Thrones, where characters are a little bit more morally complex.” 

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James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe is continuing with great fanfare, and the connections between its movies and television shows are only building. On Friday, Gunn took to social media to confirm that Creature Commandos star Frank Grillo will be reprising his role as Rick Flag Sr. in the forthcoming second season of Peacemaker. The news was accompanied by a photo of Gunn and Grillo on some sort of set — which, in the background, features a banner for an event sponsored by Big Belly Burger and Stagg Industries.

It is unclear at this point if the set is actually for Peacemaker Season 2, or for Gunn’s currently-filming Superman movie. Given the fact that Rex Mason / Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) — a superhero closely tied to Stagg Industries in the comics — is in Superman, either option definitely feels possible. Either way, the banner confirms that both companies already exist in the DCU. Big Belly Burger has already appeared throughout previous DC movies and television shows, including The CW’s Arrowverse of shows and last year’s Blue Beetle movie.

Who Is Frank Grillo Playing in the DCU?

Grillo has been cast as Rick Flag Sr., a decorated war veteran and the original leader of DC’s first incarnation of the Suicide Squad. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru in 1959’s The Brave and the Bold #25, Flag is also the father of Rick Flag, who was portrayed by Joel Kinnaman in previous DC movies.

“I did Creature Commandos with Gunn and Peter Safran, and they have a whole plan for Rick Flag Sr,” Grillo told ComicBook in a 2023 interview. “That’s going to play out throughout the whole DCU. I can’t say what it is. And I’m hoping it’ll be equally as good, if not better, than Crossbones.”

What Is Superman About?

Per DC Studios, Superman tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and a better tomorrow, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Superman will also star David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Terence Rosemore as Otis, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific.

Superman is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025. Creature Commandos and Season 2 of Peacemaker do not have confirmed release dates.

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Frank Grillo, who played Crossbones in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is set to make his live-action DC Universe debut in the upcoming second season of Peacemaker. Grillo will play Rick Flag, Sr. — the father of Joel Kinnaman’s character from The Suicide Squad. While it’s not clear that the entire movie is fully canon in the new DC Universe, one thing seems sure: Rick Flag was murdered by Peacemaker, and Old Man Flag won’t be thrilled about it. Grillo is set to play the character in Creature Commandos later this year, which may help set up his Peacemaker role.

Gunn posted the casting news — which confirms a theory some fans have been working with since Creature Commandos was announced — on social media today. Gunn said that Grillo will play the role “throughout” season 2, which seems likely to indicate he’s a series regular, although he could also be a recurring guest star whose appearances are spread out through the season.

“Christopher Smith and Rick Sr have a little unfinished business to take care of,” Gunn teased.

Given that the show’s first season dealt with Chris’s own daddy issues, and helped him come to grips with the mistakes he has made as Peacemaker, Grillo’s role is an interesting one. There could be a few different ways that a more contrite Peacemaker could head with the father of a man he killed.

“I would love it,” Grillo told ComicBook back in March. “I was just with Kevin Feige and Lou D’Esposito and the Russo Brothers. They honored Lou. And I was with Pratt and Batista, and I was like, ‘God, I wish you would bring me back.’ I said, ‘Lou, before I’m too old, bring me back.’ He said, ‘We’ll talk.’ But now I’m doing the DCU. I did Creature Commandos with Gunn and Peter Safran, and they have a whole plan for Rick Flag Sr. That’s going to play out throughout the whole DCU. I can’t say what it is. And I’m hoping it’ll be equally as good, if not better, than Crossbones.”

You can see the post below.

In a recent string of comments on Threads, Gunn confirmed that Creature Commandos is still on track to debut at some point in 2024, but there is no official release date yet.

Peacemaker‘s second season has been pushed back until after Creature Commandos drops, although whether that’s to accommodate Flag’s story or just due to scheduling and the strikes hasn’t been officially confirmed.  

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John Cena is wasting little time following his WrestleMania appearance to step back into the shoes of DC’s Peacemaker, as director James Gunn has revealed the first “behind the scenes” shot from season two. While Gunn won’t be handling all the directing duties for the upcoming season, the head of DC’s new cinematic universe will still have a big part to play in the anti-hero’s big comeback. Considering how popular Peacemaker has become, this is sure to make waves in the comic book world. 

This new iteration of Peacemaker first appeared in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad”, with John Cena showing just how dangerous this DC comic character could be in a life-or-death scenario. Unfortunately for Cena’s character, he didn’t make many friends once he betrayed the likes of Bloodsport and the other members of the Squad. In Peacemaker’s first season, we saw the titular character taking on an alien invasion while making some new friends along the way. In recent headlines, it’s been revealed that the next season won’t exactly be in the same universe, as it is making the transition from the “Snyder-Verse” into the new phase of the DC Cinematic Universe under Gunn, “Gods And Monsters”.

Peacemaker Season 2 Has Started Filming

James Gunn is no stranger to dropping some big reveals on social media, and it seems that he won’t be breaking the trend as head of DC’s new cinematic universe. The legendary director took an image of himself reflected in Peacemaker’s now legendary helmet, showing that Cena wasted little time in jumping to set from the squared circle at the WWE’s latest major event. 

On social media, Gunn recently clarified how Peacemaker’s second season will be making some changes from the character’s initial outing, “Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos [in 2024] — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — and then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that. It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

What are your predictions for Peacemaker’s big comeback? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the DC Cinematic Universe. 

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Peacemaker star John Cena shared an update on when Season 2 is ready to get filming. After an absolutely electrifying run-in during WrestleMania XL, the WWE Superstar joined The Pat McAfee Show to talk about the fate of the Max favorite and his future in the squared circle. Cena mentioned his upcoming feature Heads of State. But, his time with Peacemaker Season 2 will be coming up very soon. He’s filming right after he gets done with that movie. That makes sense as James Gunn will likely be wrapping up Superman’s filming then and the schedules all line up. After that, The Franchise is hoping that he gets one more crack at a WWE run.

“We started filming [a movie] before the strike called Heads of State Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Idris Elba,” Cena began. “And then straight from that to Peacemaker Season 2. That’ll take us through just about Christmas. I’m crossing my fingers, and toes, and my heart, that maybe – maybe just maybe – I can tell the Hollywood World to pump the brakes for a while and come back to my family for one last run. I hope, I don’t know. I hope, I’m trying, we’ll see what happens.”

Peacemaker Season 2 Updates

Gunn has been super open about the scheduling for his DC Universe projects. As one of the most well-received pieces of superhero media of the last 5 years, a lot of people what to know what’s been going on with Peacemaker. It turns out that the Max show will begin filming this summer. From there, Gunn’s dance card is pretty full with Waller and guiding the larger DC Comics picture on film. He won’t be directing every single episode of these shows. But, he’s got his hands in a whole lot of the production side for each one.

“The source is kind of iffy but this is true,” Gunn said on social media when asked about Season 2’s summer filming.. “John Cena shared this on Howard Stern last week. To answer your follow-up questions: yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some); & yes, Waller’s still happening & Jeremy & Christal are hard at work writing great stuff, but the schedule was impacted by the strikes so Waller will come after PM in the larger order of things.”

John Cena’s Barbie Cameo

Fans have seen Cena pop-up all over. That includes in the buff at The Oscars and during Barbie. On The Howard Stern Show, the WWE star explained that he almost didn’t get to be a mermaid in the Oscar-winning movie because his agency didn’t think it was a great idea.

“[The agency is] just going on what they know, and what they know is, ‘This entity, this commodity gravitates towards these things, we should stay in this lane,'” Cena explained. “But I’m not a commodity. I’m a human being, and I operate under the construct of every opportunity is an opportunity.”

“I read the script of the movie and I tried my hardest to be in it,” Cena added. “Margot [Robbie] was like, ‘We’ll make you a mermaid. You’ll be in it for half a day.”Yeah, sure. But I think the perspective from an agency standpoint was, ‘This is beneath you,’ which I get that. But also to the agency’s credit, immediately they acquiesced.”

How excited are you for Peacemaker Season 2? Let us know down in the comments!

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John Cena is willing to delay his Hollywood career if it means one last run in WWE. The Peacemaker actor made a surprise appearance during the WrestleMania 40 main event, aiding Cody Rhodes in finishing his story and winning the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. Cena made a return to WWE last year, as one of the many WWE Superstars feuding with Roman Reigns and the Bloodline. Cena wasn’t the only WWE Legend to show up in the WrestleMania XL main event, with Undertaker and The Rock also getting involved. WrestleMania 40 ended on a high note, which has Cena excited at the prospect of a final run.

“I’m crossing my fingers, and toes, and my heart, that maybe – maybe just maybe – I can tell the Hollywood World to pump the brakes for a while and come back to my family for one last run,” John Cena said on the Pat McAfee Show the morning after WrestleMania. The crowd in attendance at WWE World gave those comments a loud applause. “I hope, I don’t know. I hope, I’m trying, we’ll see what happens,” he added. Cena also joked that his record in a WWE ring the last three years hasn’t been stellar, to which McAfee quipped that they should send The Miz in as a “slumpbuster.”

John Cena squares off against The Rock at WrestleMania 40

John Cena’s music hit at WrestleMania 40 after Solo Sikoa attempted to help Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes in the main event. A Samoan Spike and Spear weren’t enough to put Cody down, but when Solo and Roman started to go on the offensive again, John Cena’s music hit. He reached down to the ring, giving Attitude Adjustment’s to Solo and Roman, with Solo getting a second one onto an announce table.

Then, The Rock’s music played, and the two rivals stared each other down in the middle of the ring. Cena gave Rock a “You Can’t See Me,” but fell to a Rock Bottom. Cena would later be among the WWE Superstars to come to the ring to applaud and celebrate Cody Rhodes on dethroning Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed Universal Championship.

The Rock and John Cena faced each other in the main events of WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29. At the time, Cena called The Rock out for leaving WWE to go Hollywood, and now Cena is the one that has gone Hollywood, starring in The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and the Fast & Furious franchise.

What do you think about John Cena making one last WWE run before retiring? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Because the new DC Studios is starting fresh with its releases, no DC projects up until now have been in canon with the new DC Universe. That means even the films and shows made by James Gunn, one of the two new heads of DC Studios, aren’t in the same continuity as the releases coming up such as Superman and Creature Commandos. It also means the first season of Peacemaker isn’t canon while the second season will be, according to Gunn.

The filmmaker made the reveal on Threads, telling a fan Peacemaker Season Two will take place after the events of Superman. In a thread discussing the events of Peacemaker’s sophomore outing, Gunn simply said “Season one isn’t canon but no,” when asked if both seasons of the John Cena vehicle took place post-Superman.

Even though Gunn has still kept the plot for Peacemaker Season Two under wraps, the filmmaker has reassured fans of the first season it won’t be hard to follow considering the chances in continuity.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos [in 2024] — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — and then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” Gunn shared on Threads last year. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

Gunn continued: “And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until [Creature Commandos] and Legacy.” 

The whole first season of Peacemaker is now streaming on Max. What other shows would you like to see in the new DCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

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DC Studios co-chair James Gunn recently gave fans a big update when it comes to Season 2 of Peacemaker, but that isn’t the only DC project he had an update for. Gunn, who is busy filming Superman, also had an update about the Waller television series — and it’s good news for fans. According to Gunn, while things have been a little delayed, Waller is still in the works.

On Instagram, Gunn confirmed the update about Peacemaker and proactively let fans know that Waller is still coming, it was just impacted by last year’s Hollywood strikes.

“The source is kind of iffy but this is true,” Gunn wrote. “John Cena shared this on Howard Stern last week. To answer your follow-up questions: yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & Peacemaker simultaneously; yes I’ve written all the episodes; but no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some; and yes, Waller‘s still happening and Jeremy and Christal are still hard at work writing great stuff, but the schedule was impacted by the strikes so Waller will come after PM in the larger order of things.”

What is Waller About?

The Amanda Waller-centered series was first revealed as being in the works back in 2022 and was confirmed last January when Gunn revealed the opening slate for the DCU.

“This is a story of Amanda Waller who is played by Viola Davis,” Gunn said at the time. “Viola Davis is going to team up with members of Team Peacemaker and this is a story that’s been created by Christal Henry who did Watchman and Jeremy Carver who created Doom Patrol. It’s a fantastic story that’s out of this world and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne, Waller was first introduced in the pages of DC Comics in 1986’s Legends #1. Although she does not have superpowers, Waller has become a formidable force in the world of superheroes, between her directing of the Suicide Squad and her roles with Checkmate and A.R.G.U.S. The New 52 continuity reintroduced a younger version of Waller, who was a member of the black-ops Team 7 alongside Black Canary, Deathstroke, and Grifter. That version of the character later formed the Justice League of America.

Peacemaker Season 2 Will Have a New Intro

One of the most talked about things with the first season of Peacemaker was the dancing intro that featured various characters in the series. Recently, Gunn confirmed that there would be a new intro for Season 2

“A lot of dancing people died first season. A new intro with new characters will be coming. Peacemaker.”

In addition to John Cena in the titular role, the first season of Peacemaker featured some other familiar faces from The Suicide Squad, including Jennifer Holland’s Emilia Harcourt as well as Steve Agee’s John Economos and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller.  The series also stars Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante, Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke, Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn, Lochlyn Munro as Larry Fitzgibbon, and Annie Chang as Sophie Song. 

Are you excited that Waller is still moving forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!

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James Gunn is currently busy filming Superman, which is scheduled to hit theaters next year. When Gunn’s new role as co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios was announced, the director revealed that his first movie would mark the beginning of the rebooted DCU. However, Gunn has said some actors from the DECU will return to play their characters, and he has confirmed that Peacemaker is still getting a second season. There have been rumors that the show would be going back into production soon, which Gunn just confirmed on Instagram. 

“The source is kind of iffy but this is true ,” Gunn captioned a screenshot of Jennifer Holland (Emilia Harcourt) telling a fan that filming on Season 2 will start this summer. “John Cena shared this on Howard Stern last week. To answer your follow-up questions: yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & #Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some); & yes, Waller’s still happening & Jeremy & Christal are hard at work writing great stuff, but the schedule was impacted by the strikes so Waller will come after PM in the larger order of things.” You can check out the post below:

Who Stars in Peacemaker?

In addition to John Cena in the titular role, Peacemaker featured some other familiar faces from The Suicide Squad, including Jennifer Holland’s Emilia Harcourt as well as Steve Agee’s John Economos and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller.  The series also stars Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante, Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke, Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn, Lochlyn Munro as Larry Fitzgibbon, and Annie Chang as Sophie Song. 

What Is Superman About? 

DC Studios describes Superman as the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. 

Superman will star David Corenswet as Superman as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane,  Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho, and Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher. 

“It’s not an origin story,” Peter Safran previously explained to reporters when asked about the film. “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice, and the American way. He has kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”

Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025. Stay tuned for more updates about Peacemaker. 

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James Gunn’s about to be a very busy man. The filmmaker is already busy filming principal photography on DC Studios’ Superman in addition to his day-to-day position as co-president of DC Studios itself. Now, his next project might already be lined up shortly after Superman wraps production.

According to a new report from scooper @DanielRPK, the second season of Peacemaker is expected to begin filming in June and will run through September. This would be the third project under the DC Studios to begin production after Creatures Commandos and Superman. It’d be the second live-action property to film under Gunn and Peter Safran’s new group given Commandos is an animated project.

This isn’t the first time Gunn has hinted another DC Studios project filming this year, confirming in January Superman wouldn’t be the only thing filming for the outfit in 2024. At the time, many expected the other DC Studios project would be Waller, the Viola Davis-starring series serving as a spinoff of both The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season One.

“This is a story of Amanda Waller who is played by Viola Davis,” Gunn said of the show last year. “Viola Davis is going to team up with members of Team Peacemaker and this is a story that’s been created by Crystal Henry who did Watchmen and Jeremy Carver who created Doom Patrol. It is a fantastic story that’s out of this world and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

That means production on Waller would likely be pushed to late 2024 if not 2025. It’s also not factoring in any of DC Studios’ upcoming films, with Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow looking to be the next feature to enter principal photography. The movie recently cast House of the Dragon lead Milly Alcock as its Kara Zor-El, and it’s currently being written by Ana Nogueira. It has yet to find a director, though that hiring is expected any way.

The whole first season of Peacemaker is now streaming on Max. What other shows would you like to see in the new DCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

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James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe reboot is on the horizon, kicking off a whole new world of superhero movies and television shows. The first film set to join the DCU slate is Superman: Legacy, which will be written and directed by Gunn for a summer 2025 release date. Speculation around Superman: Legacy has hit a fever pitch, especially as fans have wondered which DC characters may or may not appear in the film — and it looks like Gunn himself has debunked two more. On Wednesday, Gunn posted a photo of himself with Peacemaker stars Jennifer Holland and Freddie Stroma, after he was “showing them around” the sets of Superman: Legacy.

Gunn confirmed within his post that neither Holland or Stroma will be making an appearance in Superman: Legacy, either as their Peacemaker characters of Emilia Harcourt and Vigilante, or as anyone new. In a subsequent comment on Threads, Gunn joked he “wouldn’t rule out” putting either actor in a random crowd shot of the film.

What Will Peacemaker Season 2 Be About?

Details are currently under wraps about Peacemaker‘s second season, which was greenlit back in 2022 and will be folded into the new DCU. As Holland told ComicBook.com shortly after the Season 1 finale, there’s a lot of potential for where the ensemble’s character dynamic goes next.

“I love her character arc through the whole season,” Holland said of her character, Emilia Harcourt. “I think it’s really, really nuanced and it doesn’t rush itself. I really love the way that it was written into the whole series. I think, for me, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted Harcourt to be as cold and closed off as she could be in the earlier episodes, because I wanted her to really have that full character arc throughout the season.”

“I think the interesting thing is that we don’t know where she goes from here. She’s not exactly an open book now. She still has a lot of demons and a lot of stuff to deal with. Emotionally, she’s still very closed off. But she — at this point, I think — has finally accepted that it’s okay to have a team, and it’s okay to have a family. Whereas when we saw her at the beginning of the series, she was such a lone wolf. She felt like she was just carrying everyone else, and everyone else was just a liability to her. She thought she would be better off alone. I think she has accepted that there is value in having a team and having a family.”

What Is Superman: Legacy About?

Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and a better tomorrow, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. 

The cast of Superman: Legacy will include David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho.

Are you excited for Superman: Legacy? What do you think of Gunn’s newest behind-the-scenes update? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Superman: Legacy will be released exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025. Season 2 of Peacemaker will debut exclusively on Max at a later date.

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Peacemaker has some fresh details ahead of Season 2. Gunn said on Threads, “A lot of dancing people died first season. A new intro with new characters will be coming. Peacemaker.” Peacemaker fans can breathe a sigh of relief though because Adedbayo, Harcourt and Economos are safe. (If you’ve been paying attention to other DC projects, these characters have been around in post-credits tags and the like.) Due to the popularity of Peacemaker, fans grown quite attached to these lovable band of misfits. So, it’s nice to check in on them in one way or another.

On Threads, fans have had so many questions for James Gunn. People are really looking forward to Season 2 of Peacemaker. Viewers already know that Vigilante will be back. In these posts, Gunn makes sure to highlight the fact that a lot of people didn’t make it out of Season 1. That basically means we’re getting a whole new cast for the second salvo on HBO Max. Fans would also be wise to remember the entire Waller series we’re supposed to be getting on the streaming platform as well. While she’s appeared during The Suicide Squad, a lot of people remember that her daughter plays a pretty massive role in Peacemaker.

Harcourt Brings Her Friends Along

Gunn is keeping a lot of the details surrounding Peacemaker‘s second season under lock and key. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak with series star Jennifer Holland just after the Season 1 finale wrapped up. This ‘whole cast of characters has a lot of potential moving forward as the DCU develops.

“I love her character arc through the whole season,” Holland reflected on her character, Emilia Harcourt. “I think it’s really, really nuanced and it doesn’t rush itself. I really love the way that it was written into the whole series. I think, for me, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted Harcourt to be as cold and closed off as she could be in the earlier episodes, because I wanted her to really have that full character arc throughout the season.”

“I think the interesting thing is that we don’t know where she goes from here. She’s not exactly an open book now. She still has a lot of demons and a lot of stuff to deal with. Emotionally, she’s still very closed off. But she — at this point, I think — has finally accepted that it’s okay to have a team, and it’s okay to have a family. Whereas when we saw her at the beginning of the series, she was such a lone wolf. She felt like she was just carrying everyone else, and everyone else was just a liability to her. She thought she would be better off alone. I think she has accepted that there is value in having a team and having a family.”

Crazy Fan Requests

With all these fan requests, James Gunn would have a hard time fitting all of this into Peacemaker Season 2. One character that probably won’t be there is Bat-Mite. On Threads, one brave soul asked James Gunn about the fan-favorite character. ComicBook.com interviewed the DC Studios head before Peacemaker Season 1. During our talk, Gunn opened up about that decision.

“It’s almost like playing a massive prank on the DCU making Bat-Mite canon,” Gunn smiled with us. “I think I can’t say there was some big thought process to it. I’m writing, and these things come up, and then I just sort of go with them. I do think that Peacemaker’s relationship to other superheroes is very specific. He is envious. He wants to be in that holy trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He is not.”

“He wants to be a member of the Justice League, and they would never let him into the Justice League. He wishes that people loved him as much as they love Aquaman, but they don’t. So he believes anything and kind of picks out what he wants to believe on the Internet, which any random Joe has tweeted or put on,” Gunn continued. “He also doesn’t quite understand the Internet. He’s not very well versed in the Internet, so he sees something on Facebook, and somehow he thinks that’s fact. But I think that it also serves his envy to be these things about people.”

Who do you want in Peacemaker Season 2? Let us know down in the comments!

The post James Gunn Confirms New Peacemaker Season 2 Details: Returning Cast and New Intro appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Peacemaker has remained a beloved part of the tapestry of DC adaptations — and we’re now one step closer to seeing the sophomore season. Series creator James Gunn recently took to Threads to confirm that he has finished writing the eighth and final episode of Peacemaker Season 2.

Gunn, who now co-leads DC Studios, has shared updates about his writing process for the new season of the John Cena-led series on social media. This time around, he simply confirmed reporting that he has finished the new season as “accurate.”

What Will Peacemaker Season 2 Be About?

Details are currently under wraps about Peacemaker‘s second season. As series star Jennifer Holland told ComicBook.com shortly after the Season 1 finale, there’s a lot of potential for where the ensemble’s character dynamic goes next.

“I love her character arc through the whole season,” Holland said of her character, Emilia Harcourt. “I think it’s really, really nuanced and it doesn’t rush itself. I really love the way that it was written into the whole series. I think, for me, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted Harcourt to be as cold and closed off as she could be in the earlier episodes, because I wanted her to really have that full character arc throughout the season.”

“I think the interesting thing is that we don’t know where she goes from here. She’s not exactly an open book now. She still has a lot of demons and a lot of stuff to deal with. Emotionally, she’s still very closed off. But she — at this point, I think — has finally accepted that it’s okay to have a team, and it’s okay to have a family. Whereas when we saw her at the beginning of the series, she was such a lone wolf. She felt like she was just carrying everyone else, and everyone else was just a liability to her. She thought she would be better off alone. I think she has accepted that there is value in having a team and having a family.”

Is Peacemaker Season 2 in the New DCU?

While the first season of Peacemaker was created within the DC Extended Universe, even showing that universe’s version of the Justice League, it has been confirmed that it will be a part of Gunn and Peter Safran’s “reset” DC Universe. As Gunn has promised on Threads, this rollout of the DCU’s canon won’t be “confusing” to fans.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos [in 2024] — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — and then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” Gunn shared on Threads last year. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

What do you think of James Gunn’s newest update around Peacemaker Season 2? Are you excited to see the new season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

The post James Gunn Confirms He Has Finished Writing Peacemaker Season 2 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Peacemaker is on the cusp of making its return, as DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has been hard at work writing the show’s sophomore season. The first season of Peacemaker easily became one of DC’s most-beloved projects in recent memory, and there has been a lot of conversation around what the new episodes could have in store. In a recent string of comments on Threads, Gunn shed a bit of light on one unique aspect of Peacemaker — its dance number that accompanies each episode’s opening credits.

As Gunn confirmed, Season 2 of Peacemaker will have a new dance number in its opening credits, seeing as the previous version featured multiple characters who died across Season 1. He also confirmed that choreographer Charissa Barton is returning to help create the Season 2 dance sequence. 

What Will Peacemaker Season 2 Be About?

Details are currently under wraps about Peacemaker‘s second season. As series star Jennifer Holland told ComicBook.com shortly after the Season 1 finale, there’s a lot of potential for where the ensemble’s character dynamic goes next.

“I love her character arc through the whole season,” Holland said of her character, Emilia Harcourt. “I think it’s really, really nuanced and it doesn’t rush itself. I really love the way that it was written into the whole series. I think, for me, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted Harcourt to be as cold and closed off as she could be in the earlier episodes, because I wanted her to really have that full character arc throughout the season.”

“I think the interesting thing is that we don’t know where she goes from here. She’s not exactly an open book now. She still has a lot of demons and a lot of stuff to deal with. Emotionally, she’s still very closed off. But she — at this point, I think — has finally accepted that it’s okay to have a team, and it’s okay to have a family. Whereas when we saw her at the beginning of the series, she was such a lone wolf. She felt like she was just carrying everyone else, and everyone else was just a liability to her. She thought she would be better off alone. I think she has accepted that there is value in having a team and having a family.”

Will There Be a Peacemaker Spinoff?

While we wait for Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe will have Waller, a new spinoff bridging the gap of the narrative between both seasons, and focusing on Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and the fallout from the end of the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker. Watchmen‘s Christal Henry and Doom Patrol‘s Jeremy Carver are attached as writers.

“This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it, as the regulars on the show,” Gunn told reporters when announcing the DCU slate. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker and is going to be done. We have two great creatives working on it. Christal Henry, who is a writer on Watchmen and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves. So they’re putting this all together.”

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Peacemaker Season 2? Are you excited for the new dance sequence? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Do ya really wanna taste of Peacemaker season 2? James Gunn, who now heads DC Studios with fellow producer Peter Safran, is midway through writing the second season of the Max series about the peace-loving, chrome-helmeted anti-hero (John Cena) introduced in The Suicide Squad. But with Gunn and Safran rebooting the old DC Extended Universe — one where Cena’s character cursed out Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash, who won’t carry over into the new canon — is Peacemaker part of the old DC Universe? Yes. Is Cena’s Peacemaker part of the new DC Universe? Also yes. 

“I have a way in,” Gunn assured a puzzled fan on the social media platform Threads. “It won’t be confusing.”

But there is confusion around what is — and what isn’t — considered DCU canon. Gunn has clarified that the new continuity begins with DC Studios’ animated Max series Creature Commandos this year before officially kicking off with Gunn’s live-action Superman: Legacy in 2025.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos [in 2024] — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — and then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” Gunn shared on Threads last year. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

Gunn continued: “And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until [Creature Commandos] and Legacy.” 

As for the actors who will reprise their DCEU roles in the DCU, Gunn confirmed Cena as Peacemaker and Suicide Squad‘s Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes is canon, according to Gunn, but 2023’s Blue Beetle movie where he debuted is not.

Superman: Legacy “is really the launch of the DCU,” Safran told press during the DCU slate reveal in 2023. Safran added that the animated Creature Commandos and the live-action Waller, which will release before the Superman reboot and Peacemaker season 2, are “an amuse-bouche [appetizer] for what’s coming up” in the new DCU.

“The DCU’s a multiverse, but we’re going to be focusing on oneuniverse from that multiverse,” Safran explained. “And if somethingisn’t DCU, we’re going to make that very clear. So, strictly adult farelike Todd Phillips’ Joker, or kids animation like Teen Titans Go!, we’re going to make it very clear that those are DC Elseworlds, just the same way that they do it in the comic books.”

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James Gunn has spent much of Monday evening answering fan questions on Threads, ranging from inquiries about the validity of Green Lantern rumors to broader questions about the DC Universe as a whole. The filmmaker also revealed a surprising amount about the second season of Peacemaker, which the filmmaker is now writing. According to Gunn, Eagly is most definitely returning—and that’s only the beginning.

Gunn then went on to address how he’s going to turn Peacemaker into a bonafide DCU property, despite the show’s first season technically not being a part of the franchise’s current canon. “Because it’s my favorite thing to do, it’s the biggest original Max show ever, and I have a way in. It won’t be confusing,” Gunn promised one fan.

Gunn said earlier this month he had over half of Peacemaker’s second season written, though he has yet to reveal when he expects the series to film and subsequently drop on Max.

First Slate of DCU Projects

Peacemaker Season 2 is one of several projects on the initial slate for this new DCU, which is being titled Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The first title, even before Superman: Legacy, is an animated series called Creature Commandos. There’s also set to be a series about Amanda Waller, with Viola Davis reprising her role from Peacemaker and the Suicide Squad movies.

“This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it as the regulars on the show,” Gunn said of the show during a DC press event. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker. We have two great creatives working on it: Crystal Henry, who is a writer on Watchman and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves and they’re putting this all together.”

The DC Universe officially kicks off with Creature Commandos, which has yet to set a release date, and Superman: Legacy, which enters theaters July 11, 2025. The first season of Peacemaker is now streaming in its entirety on Max.

What part of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters excites you most? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!

The post Peacemaker: James Gunn Reveals Major Details About Season 2 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Superman: Legacy isn’t going to be the only DC Studios project filming this year. According to a new social media post from DC Studios boss James Gunn, at least one other project will enter production at some point in 2024. The director-turned-film executive made the reveal on Threads while responding to a fan’s inquiry on the studio’s production schedule.

“Nope,” Gunn said simply when answering a question as to whether or not Superman: Legacy would be the lone DC Studios project filming this year.

What other DC Studios projects are filming this year?

Out of any other project on the DC Studios slate, it would seem Waller is the furthest along. It already has an actor attached, and the writers behind the show have been busy at work on the show’s scripts.

“This is a story of Amanda Waller who is played by Viola Davis,” Gunn said of the show earlier this year. “Viola Davis is going to team up with members of Team Peacemaker and this is a story that’s been created by Crystal Henry who did Watchman and Jeremy Carver who created Doom Patrol. It is a fantastic story that’s out of this world and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Another possibility of additional projects that could film would be Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, given some think it may spin directly out of the events of Superman: Legacy. Ana Nogueira is currently writing the picture.

Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.” Along with David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, the cast includes Nathan Fillion as the Guy Gardner Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as the mass-shifting Metamorpho, and María Gabriela de Faría as The Authority’s The Engineer.

The DC Universe officially kicks off with Creature Commandos, which has yet to set a release date, and Superman: Legacy, which enters theaters July 11, 2025.

What part of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters excites you most? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!

The post Superman: Legacy’s James Gunn Confirms Another DCU Project Will Start Production This Year appeared first on ComicBook.com.

While the interconnected universe of DC movies and TV shows is getting an overhaul with the new leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, a couple of already existing characters are going to make the jump from the old franchise. Perhaps the biggest character being carried over into the new DC is John Cena’s Peacemaker, who debuted in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad before getting his on TV show on Max. Peacemaker, which was a massive hit for the streaming service, is getting a second season despite the DC reset, and Gunn is currently penning the show’s new scripts.

On Thursday, Gunn went on another reply spree on Threads, answering questions from fans about his plans for DC. After revealing he’s prepping to shoot Superman: Legacy in March, Gunn was asked about his progress on Peacemaker Season 2. The filmmaker said that the new installment of the hit series is “over halfway written.”

Peacemaker Season 2 is set to be Gunn’s next production after Superman: Legacy is finished, and he’s assuring the fans asking about the project that it’s a major priority. When asked what else he’s working on at the moment, Gunn replied that he’s only writing Peacemaker as things are ramping up for Superman: Legacy.

While the wait for Peacemaker‘s second season has been longer than fans hoped, it does appear the series will be coming back to the small screen sooner rather than later.

First Slate of DCU Projects

Peacemaker Season 2 is one of several projects on the initial slate for this new DCU, which is being titled Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The first title, even before Superman: Legacy, is an animated series called Creature Commandos. There’s also set to be a series about Amanda Waller, with Viola Davis reprising her role from Peacemaker and the Suicide Squad movies.

“This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it as the regulars on the show,” Gunn said of the show during a DC press event. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker. We have two great creatives working on it: Crystal Henry, who is a writer on Watchman and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves and they’re putting this all together.”

Are you looking forward to seeing what the new DC has in store? Let us know in the comments!

The post James Gunn Reveals How Far Along Peacemaker Season 2 Is Now appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Now that James Gunn is co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios, he is currently working on bringing Superman to life in Superman: Legacy. Gunn has been sharing updates about the film on social media, and answering fan questions. While Gunn is now fully immersed in DC, this year did see him making his final film for Marvel Studios. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released earlier this year, and Gunn is still sharing some fun content from the film. In fact, he just posted a storyboard image that confirms the movie features a Peacemaker easter egg. 

“Fun storyboard to shot comparison from #guardiansofthegalaxyvol3. Fun Easter eggs include Eagly’s cameo at the top of the shot and then our Executive Producer Simon Hatt’s dog River down at the bottom of frame. #gotgvol3,” Gunn shared. Of course, Eagly is the fan-favorite animal sidekick of Peacemaker (John Cena). You can check out Gunn’s post below:

Is Peacemaker Season 2 Still Happening?

Peacemaker was previously renewed for a second season, but Gunn explained that it would probably be a while before the next season goes into production. Now, Gunn is writing and directing the Superman film reboot, Superman: Legacy, and recently confirmed that the movie will be coming before the second season of Peacmaker. 

“What about the second season of Peacemaker? Is it still even happening?” @ThomasZygula asked Gunn on Twitter. “Yes after Superman,” Gunn replied. 

In addition to John Cena in the titular role, Peacemaker featured some other familiar faces from The Suicide Squad, including Jennifer Holland’s Emilia Harcourt as well as Steve Agee’s John Economos and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller.  The series also stars Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante, Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke, Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn, Lochlyn Munro as Larry Fitzgibbon, and Annie Chang as Sophie Song. 

What Is Superman: Legacy About? 

DC Studios describes Superman: Legacy as the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. The film will serve as the first film installment of Gunn and Safran’s DC Universe reboot.

In addition to David Corenswet as Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Superman: Legacy will feature María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho, and Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher. 

“It’s not an origin story,” Peter Safran previously explained to reporters when asked about the film. “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice, and the American way. He has kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”

Gunn previously confirmed Superman: Legacy would be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.

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Minecraft has added Danielle Brooks to the cast of the upcoming video game movie. The Peacemaker star is currently doing press for The Color Purple, but next year is going to be a busy one for the actress. Already a part of the Minecraft movie is Jason Momoa. Legendary inked the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star to be a part of the film a while ago. Deadline reports that Sebastian Eugene Hansen is also a part of this cast. Jared Hess will be behind the camera for this one as Brooks plays Dawn and Hansen joins the adventure as Henry. Production is reported to begin gaining steam by the end of December, so there will be more developments out of New Zealand.

A tentative release date for the project was set for April 4th. But, with the writers and actors strike lasting so long, that’s likely changed. Legendary Pictures knows the appeal of such a project for a lot of gamers out there and probably doesn’t want to waste any more time getting Minecraft out to the masses. The general consensus online is that a movie like this should have happened ages ago. The Super Mario Bros. Movie just got done proving that there’s a real audience out there for these game-based adaptations. (To say nothing of the runaway success that Five Nights At Freddy’s sparked for Blumhouse just a month or so ago.)

What Happened To Other Versions Of The Minecraft Movie?

Once upon a time, Rob McElhenney was supposed to direct the Minecraft movie. Due to creative differences between he and Warner Bros., the creative stepped away. However, during The Happy, Sad Confused podcast, McElhenney talked about what appealed to him about Minecraft and got him to sign on.

“I thought one of the greatest assets to Minecraft was they didn’t have a fixed narrative. It was an open world experience,” McElhenney explained to the host. “All you were essentially give was the building blocks to do whatever you want. I thought, what an amazing tool, much like Legos except now you’re talking about infinite possibilities because it’s digital, to give to kids–and not just kids, but any person who feels powerless. Kids mostly feel powerless; all day long they’re being told what to do, how to dress, do your homework, go to bed.”

He continued, “I felt like that could extend to other people. I think everybody feels marginalized to an extent. Your boss is telling you what to do all day long, or your spouse is. You just feel like you don’t have this sense of agency over your own life. The game gave you that, and I thought that’s a really profound experience.”

Danielle Brooks’ Next Project

The next time that fans see Danielle Brooks on-screen will be in The Color Purple though. The Christmas Day release is an adaptation of the musical rather than the iconic film. In this version, Brooks plays Sofia opposite Fantasia’s Celie. Back in 2022, Oprah shared a video of the actress getting the news of her casting. It was super emotional for everyone involved.

“I am here representing all things purple to tell you that you are our Sophia,” Brooks said to the former talk show host. “I’m so happy to pass whatever baton from 35 — almost 40 — years ago to you. And I know you’re gonna kill it.”

Brooks got overcome with emotion as she told Oprah she would do everything in her power to make her proud. The star of the original film said, “You already have. I wanted to be the one to tell you because you know I have such love for her, this character, everything she represents and everything she brought to my life. And what I’m hoping is that she does the same thing for you.”

Do you think Minecraft will be ready for next year? Let us know in the comments!

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Peacemaker Season 2 just got a surprising update from James Gunn. On Threads, one fan asked about the John Cena series and the creator actually had some news. Gunn says that he was headed upstairs to continue writing the series right now. The DC Studios head has a ton of irons in the fire right now with Superman: Legacy and running the rest of that Chapter 1 slate. Creature Commandoes is creeping ever closer and more people keep getting announced for that Superman movie by the day. Still, the fans who really loved Peacemaker couldn’t help but feel anxious about getting some news about the show. Still, it seems like more news is coming down the pipe.

Understandably, Superman: Legacy is taking up a lot of oxygen over at DC. With The Man of Steel already cast with David Corenswet putting on the cape. The hype is already percolating with the actor hitting the gym and making his transformation into Superman the talk of social media. But, James Gunn also keeps dropping little nuggets for people on the ground as well. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and a host of other DC Comics characters have been cast too. So, when the fervor over The Man of Tomorrow dies down, we’ll probably get even more information about Cena’s return to Peacemaker.

One Character Who Won’t Be In Peacemaker Season 2

A lot of fans have been making daily requests for characters to be featured in Peacemaker Season 2. One character who won’t make the cut is Bat-Mite. On Threads a hopeful viewer asked James Gunn about that possibility. Unfortunately, fans are going to have to wait for the inter-dimensional imp to make an appearance. ComicBook.com sat down with the DC Studios head before Season 1 of Peacemaker. In that conversation, Gunn had a lot to say about the fan-favorite character.

“It’s almost like playing a massive prank on the DCU making Bat-Mite canon,” Gunn told us. “I think I can’t say there was some big thought process to it. I’m writing, and these things come up, and then I just sort of go with them. I do think that Peacemaker’s relationship to other superheroes is very specific. He is envious. He wants to be in that holy trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He is not. 

“He wants to be a member of the Justice League, and they would never let him into the Justice League. He wishes that people loved him as much as they love Aquaman, but they don’t. So he believes anything and kind of picks out what he wants to believe on the Internet, which any random Joe has tweeted or put on,” Gunn added. “He also doesn’t quite understand the Internet. He’s not very well versed in the Internet, so he sees something on Facebook, and somehow he thinks that’s fact. But I think that it also serves his envy to be these things about people.”

What’s Coming Before Peacemaker Season 2?

Fans are going to be waiting for John Cena to don that red shirt and khakis for a while. James Gunn’s DCU tenure begins with Creature Commandos. Superman: Legacy is also waiting in the wings. But, one show for HBO Max is going to be crucial lead-in for Peacemaker Season 2. Waller is confirmed to be happening before the second season of the beloved HBO Max show. The DC boss said he just didn’t have time to film Peacemaker Season 2 right now. But, you’ll see some of your favorites during Waller.

Gunn and Peter Safran spoke to the media during a press event for the DCU’s Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate. “This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it as the regulars on the show,” Gunn teased. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker. We have two great creatives working on it: Crystal Henry, who is a writer on Watchman and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves and they’re putting this all together.”

What do you want to see in Peacemaker Season 2? Let us know down in the comments!

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After The Batman became a smash success for Warner Bros. last year, the studio is not slowing down on that side of the DC Universe. A television spinoff, The Penguin, is currently in the works for Max, promising a unique crime drama around Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin (Colin Farrell). While production on The Penguin has been stalled amid the recent Hollywood strikes, it sounds like HBO and Max executive Casey Bloys has a lot of praise for the show. During a 2024 programming showcase in New York, Bloys argued that The Penguin and the studio’s various DC-inspired television shows have a clear sense of style, something that might not be the case in the stories of other superhero competitors.

“I don’t know that it’s necessarily tentpole fatigue as much as it is a sameness of storytelling,” Bloys explained. “I think the key, even within DC, is trying to tell different stories in different styles, to not try to do the same show over and over and over again. I would say Peacemaker is a very different show tonally than The Penguin. So, there’s not a uniformity to the storytelling and I think that helps. Unfortunately, Marvel, as good as their shows are, there’s probably been a lot of them. That’s one of the advantages we have at Warner Bros. is it’s not just one set of stories. There’s a lot of stories you can go to.”

What Is The Penguin About?

While plot details surrounding The Penguin are currently under wraps, it is expected to take place in the aftermath of the events of The Batman.

“We are thrilled to bring audiences a new version of this iconic DC character that they have never seen before,” Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement when the show was announced. “It is incredible to be working with Matt, Dylan and Lauren on continuing this story and to see Colin take his already exceptional performance in ‘The Batman’ to the next level.”

“Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman,’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill,” The Batman director Matt Reeves echoed. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”

“I have long been a fan of the world of ‘The Batman,’ and Matt’s film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot? I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen,” said showrunner Lauren LeFranc.

Who Is the Cast of The Penguin?

The cast of The Penguin includes Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni, as well as Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell.

“The only thing I had an idea was that I wasn’t nearly getting to explore the character as much as I wanted to,” Farrell explained in a recent interview with Variety. “Because there was all this extraordinary work done by [makeup artists] Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine and his team, and I just thought it was the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun, that we were getting to do the six or seven scenes that we did in the film. I was grateful for them, but I wanted more.”

Are you excited for The Batman‘s The Penguin spinoff? What do you think of these new comments? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

The Penguin is set to debut exclusively on Max at a later date.

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Peacemaker has remained a standout part of the DC TV landscape, continuing the journey of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in an epic fashion. With Gunn and Peter Safran now leading the entire DC Universe as co-CEOs of DC Studios, there has been the question of how Peacemaker‘s already-renewed second season will fold into the franchise’s “reset” canon. One prominent fan theory has been that the multiverse-hopping Bat-Mite, who was name-dropped in Peacemaker‘s first season, will appear — but according to Gunn, that’s not the case.

In multiple replies on Threads, Gunn made it clear that Bat-Mite will not appear in Peacemaker Season 2. When asked for the reason why, Gunn said that it’s “simply because the story for Season 2 has nothing to do with Bat-Mite!”

Who Is DC’s Bat-Mite?

Created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff in 1959’s Detective Comics #267, Bat-Mite is a bizarre inter-dimensional imp who frequented the Batman comics of the early 1960s. Presented as a small man in an ill-fitting Batman costume, Bat-Mite uses an ever-growing array of magical powers to create scenarios to draw out his idol, Batman. In the post-Crisis world of DC, Bat-Mite has only sporadically appeared in comics, and has often partnered up with Superman’s own imp antagonist, Mr. Mxyzptlk. Bat-Mite even got a monthly comic series in 2015. While Bat-Mite has only appeared in a handful of animated properties, his name-drop in Peacemaker was the first acknowledgment of him in live-action.

“It’s almost like playing a massive prank on the DCU making Bat-Mite canon,” Gunn told ComicBook.com before Season 1’s debut. “I think I can’t say there was some big thought process to it. I’m writing, and these things come up, and then I just sort of go with them. I do think that Peacemaker’s relationship to other superheroes is very specific. He is envious. He wants to be in that holy trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He is not. He wants to be a member of the Justice League, and they would never let him into the Justice League. He wishes that people loved him as much as they love Aquaman, but they don’t. So he believes anything and kind of picks out what he wants to believe on the Internet, which any random Joe has tweeted or put on. He also doesn’t quite understand the Internet. He’s not very well versed in the Internet, so he sees something on Facebook, and somehow he thinks that’s fact. But I think that it also serves his envy to be these things about people.”

Will There Be a Peacemaker Spinoff?

While we wait for Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe will have Waller, a new spinoff bridging the gap of the narrative between both seasons, and focusing on Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and the fallout from the end of the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker. Watchmen‘s Christal Henry and Doom Patrol‘s Jeremy Carver are attached as writers.

“This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it, as the regulars on the show,” Gunn told reporters when announcing the DCU slate. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker and is going to be done. We have two great creatives working on it. Christal Henry, who is a writer on Watchmen and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves. So they’re putting this all together.”

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Peacemaker Season 2? Are you sad that Bat-Mite won’t appear? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Peacemaker might’ve been one of the biggest DC surprises in recent years, taking the lesser-known titular character and turning him into a household name. The show was renewed for a sophomore season in the spring of 2022, with series creator James Gunn stepping into the role of DC Studios co-CEO later that year. Questions surrounding when and how Peacemaker will fit into the new DC Universe have not slowed down — but apparently, we’re one step closer to it becoming a reality. 

In a recent Instagram comment, Gunn confirmed to a fan that he is currently writing Peacemaker Season 2, now that the months-long writers’ strike is over. As Gunn put it, he is “writing [Season 2] now.”

What Will Peacemaker Season 2 Be About?

Details are currently under wraps about Peacemaker‘s second season. As series star Jennifer Holland told ComicBook.com shortly after the Season 1 finale, there’s a lot of potential for where the ensemble’s character dynamic goes next.

“I love her character arc through the whole season,” Holland said of her character, Emilia Harcourt. “I think it’s really, really nuanced and it doesn’t rush itself. I really love the way that it was written into the whole series. I think, for me, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted Harcourt to be as cold and closed off as she could be in the earlier episodes, because I wanted her to really have that full character arc throughout the season.”

“I think the interesting thing is that we don’t know where she goes from here. She’s not exactly an open book now. She still has a lot of demons and a lot of stuff to deal with. Emotionally, she’s still very closed off. But she — at this point, I think — has finally accepted that it’s okay to have a team, and it’s okay to have a family. Whereas when we saw her at the beginning of the series, she was such a lone wolf. She felt like she was just carrying everyone else, and everyone else was just a liability to her. She thought she would be better off alone. I think she has accepted that there is value in having a team and having a family.”

Will There Be a Peacemaker Spinoff?

While we wait for Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe will have Waller, a new spinoff bridging the gap of the narrative between both seasons, and focusing on Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and the fallout from the end of the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker. Watchmen‘s Christal Henry and Doom Patrol‘s Jeremy Carver are attached as writers.

“This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it, as the regulars on the show,” Gunn told reporters when announcing the DCU slate. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker and is going to be done. We have two great creatives working on it. Christal Henry, who is a writer on Watchmen and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves. So they’re putting this all together.”

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Peacemaker Season 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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James Gunn and Peter Safran are now leading the charge at DC Studios, opening the door for a slew of new storylines in movies, television, and beyond. Even as some of DC’s heroes and villains have begun to be recast, there has been the question of which existing live-action portrayals will carry over into the new DC Universe — and now, it looks like another name is added to that list. As Gunn recently confirmed on social media, Freddie Stroma’s portrayal of Adrian Chase / Vigilante will continue to appear in the new DCU. There’s no confirmation at this point as to where Stroma, who previously portrayed the character in the first season of Peacemaker, will reprise his role next.

Will There Be a Peacemaker Season 2?

While a sophomore season of Peacemaker has been confirmed to be in the works, it is not expected to arrive right away, especially now that Gunn is co-shepherding the larger DC Universe. In the interim, there will be Waller, a new spinoff bridging the gap of the narrative between both seasons, and focusing on Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and the fallout from the end of the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker.

“This is also going to have some of Team Peacemaker in it, as the regulars on the show,” Gunn told reporters when announcing the DCU slate. “This basically follows up to Peacemaker and is going to be done. We have two great creatives working on it. Christal Henry, who is a writer on Watchmen and Jeremy Carver, who created Doom Patrol, have this incredibly marvelous story worked out that I think is really fantastic and HBO loves. So they’re putting this all together.”

What Is On the DC Universe Slate?

As Gunn and DC Studios Peter Safran revealed earlier this year, the initial DC Studios slate for “Gods and Monsters” will include movies for Superman: Legacy, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series.

“If you look at the MCU, there are very few traditional superheroes,” Gunn previously said of the DCU’s approach. “There was never a guy with a secret identity until Spider-Man in the MCU. Their Cap was turned into a soldier even though he wears a mask. Iron Man outed himself at the end of the first Iron Man because they don’t want to deal with the whole secret identity stuff. But there is a bit more of a fantasy element to DCU, because there are these larger-than-life superheroes and for me, there’s Superman and Clark Kent. They’re two different characters, and you have to find a way to deal with them that’s as grounded as possible within this world of DC. One of the things that I love about DC, that excites me about DC, is that in a way it’s another alternate history. It is Gotham City and Metropolis and Star City and Bludhaven, and all these different places in this other reality, and it makes it a little bit like Westeros in some ways. I love it in that way. I love that we get to create true worldbuilding in DC, it isn’t just ‘we’re throwing some superheroes on Earth.’ I think right now, that’s one of the key differences.” 

How do you feel about Vigilante being confirmed for the new DCU? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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James Gunn revealed which DC actors will be reprising their roles in the new DCU. On Threads, the DC Comics head got asked about what’s canon for the franchise moving forward and the filmmaker had a lot to say. Gunn clarified that Xolo Maridueña will be Blue Beetle in the new configuration. Also returning from the previous movies are John Cena as Peacemaker and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. These choices make a ton of sense seeing as how there are both Peacemaker Season 2 and a Waller series scheduled for HBO Max. 

Ever since James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the heads of DC Films, there have been questions about what is canon from the previous regime. These answers and others since that first announcement have clarified what’s going on there. It feels like a lot of the old DCEU stuff is being shown the door. That fact is going to distress some fans of the previous incarnation of the live-action DC projects. Fan-favorites like Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman are going to be constantly references whenever Superman: Legacy hits theaters. To say nothing of the long cinematic history of the Dark Knight whenever The Brave and The Bold takes shape.

What Is Canon In The DCU?

With Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom still set to debut this winter, fans have been getting even more restless waiting for the new era of DC movies. With Creature Commandos, things in the DCU begin in earnest. Until that moment, projects like Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Aquaman 2, and The Flash all kind of sit at the end of the previous branch of DCEU storytelling. It will really be a new era of for the DCU as they begin with a strange animated offering and go from there. Check out what Gunn had to say about it on Threads right here.

“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year – a sort of aperitif to the DCU – & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” Gunn clarified. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”

What About The Multiverse?

As with most comic book storytelling right now, there’s a multiverse element of all of this to deal with. The Flash ran through the concept and viewers were left wondering what else could happen in the DCEU after the credits rolled. After all, that Barry Allen is now in a much different place than where he began. Could there be a future for Affleck and Cavill’s heroes among the multiverse somewhere? According to Gunn, nothing is impossible. But, they will quickly point out which entries are a part of the DCU and which ones are not. That should make it a little easier for fans with anxiety.

“The DCU’s a multiverse, but we’re going to be focusing on one universe from that multiverse,” Safran explained. “And if something isn’t DCU, we’re going to make that very clear. So, strictly adult fare like Todd Phillips’ Joker, or kids animation like Teen Titans Go!, we’re going to make it very clear that those are DC Elseworlds, just the same way that they do it in the comic books.”

Do you think anyone else should have carried over to the DCU? Let us know in the comments down below!

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Being a great professional wrestler often requires being a great actor to some degree. In addition to the physically demanding fights in the ring, a wrestler needs to be able to engage a crowd and make fans believe in their character’s story. All of the greats have solid acting chops, but not all of them have been able to translate those chops to awesome performances on-screen. Some, however, have proven to be fantastic in both industries.

Roddy Piper, John Cena, Dave Bautista, and Andre the Giant are just a few wrestling superstars who have turned in top-notch acting performances over the years. And many of them have done so across different genres. Bautista has been able to shine as brightly in buddy comedies as he does in sci-fi epics. Dwayne Johnson has wowed audiences as a rugged federal agent and an animated demigod. 

There have been some truly great acting performances from professional wrestlers over the years, but which one is the best? Let’s find out.

10. The Big Show – The Waterboy

Paul “The Big Show” Wight’s performance in The Waterboy is a classic example of a wrestler being a wrestler in a movie and doing a damn good job at it.

Wight isn’t in many scenes, but his turn as Captain Insano, the favorite wrestler of Adam Sandler’s Bobby Boucher, is both entertaining and hilarious. Seeing such a massive man brought to tears by Boucher’s dreams not only provides a great bit, but it also helps set the stage for the main character’s story through the rest of the movie. 

9. Hulk Hogan – Rocky III

Speaking of wrestlers playing wrestlers in movies, there may be no more memorable example than Hulk Hogan in Rocky III. Very few people could be that over-the-top as an antagonist and that terrifying as an opponent, but that’s what Hogan spent decades doing in the ring.

Hogan’s turn as Thunderlips doesn’t demonstrate any groundbreaking acting abilities. It does, however, show that Hogan knew exactly what the assignment called for and delivered flawlessly.

8. Jesse Ventura – Predator

The crew sent in to hunt the titular beast in Predator was made up almost entirely of dangerous, rough-and-tumble men. To stand out as the cockiest and most unpredictable of that group took a special kind of performance. Jesse Ventura was up for the challenge.

Just think back to that early scene on the helicopter, when Ventura’s Blain sizes up his peers and tries to establish his own dominance. It’s expertly delivered sleaze from Ventura, instantly giving the audience someone to root against and completely changing the dynamic of the team.

7. Randy Savage – Spider-Man

I’m not sure if anyone on this list made such a massive impact with such a small amount of screen time. Macho Man Randy Savage only appears in a single scene in Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man, but boy does he make it count.

In an effort to buy a car and impress MJ, Peter tries to use his newly acquired powers to win some money in an underground cage fighting tournament. All he has to do is survive for three minutes against Bonesaw.

Each and every line reading from Macho Man in the scene is better than the last. People are still repeating “Bonesaw is ready” and “It’s playtime” in Savage’s iconic voice more than 20 years later. It’s just such a special performance that shows how great an entertainer Macho Man always was.

6. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – Pain & Gain

Dwayne Johnson is undoubtedly the most popular wrestler-turned-actor on the list. He’s arguably one of the most popular actors on the entire planet. That said, not every Dwayne Johnson performance is good. He’s got plenty of bland performances on his resume, many of which have come in films he’s produced, where he doesn’t do much more than play himself.

When Johnson is good, though, he’s really good. The Rock has a handful of great performances littered throughout his career and his turn as bodybuilding criminal Paul Doyle in Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain is his best by a mile. He’s hilarious and completely self-aware, one of the rare times he actually uses his body to enhance his comedy.

The scene where Paul attempts to rob a bank, only to have a bag of paint blow up in his face, shows just how good Johnson can be when he sets his own ego aside. It’s frustrating we don’t see that type of performance from him more often.

5. Andre the Giant – The Princess Bride

Andre the Giant plays so well off of Wallace Shawn and Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride. It’s one of those situations where it’s hard to separate one actor’s performance from the others because they operate so well as a group. 

Andre the Giant’s performance may not have been as good without Shawn or Patinkin, but the same can be said for how his performance affected the two of them. That’s the sign of a great screen presence and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see much more of him outside the ring.

4. Kevin Nash – Magic Mike XXL

The man they call Diesel is a much better actor than you might expect. He manages to be one of the standout pieces of just about anything he’s in, whether it’s a zany 2000s comedy like The Longest Yard or an introspective character journey like Dog. He’s consistently great and tends to fly under the radar when it comes to wrestlers-turned-actors.

The best role of Nash’s career, however, is most definitely the middle-aged stripper known as Tarzan in the Magic Mike series. Magic Mike XXL isn’t only the greatest film in the trilogy, but it also features career-best work from most of the cast, Nash included.

3. Roddy Piper – They Live

It’s impossible to talk about great acting performances from wrestlers and not bring up Roddy Piper in John Carpenter’s horror satire They Live. 

Piper may not have been in as many movies as some of the modern wrestlers-turned-actors, but he certainly made a lasting impression when he was given the chance. Playing the lead role for one of the best genre filmmakers in history, Piper simply exudes cool in every minute of They Live. His fight scenes are unsurprisingly incredible and every one of his lines makes you lean a little closer to the TV. He’s a badass in every sense of the word.

2. Dave Bautista – Knock at the Cabin

Choosing one Dave Bautista performance feels like an impossible task. The man is a brilliant actor and he has spent the last few years dedicated to his craft and aiming to get better with each role he takes on. Every time he shows up on-screen, you’re not quite sure exactly what he’s going to do, and that’s what makes him stand out from his peers. 

Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy is Bautista’s most well-known performance. His work in Blade Runner 2049‘s thrilling opening sequence is what you’ll hear come up most when anyone debates his best work. For me, though, it’s one of Bautista’s most recent turns that shines brightest.

In M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, Bautsita plays a gentle giant named Leonard, a physically imposing man with a heavy heart that has to tell a young family they must kill one of their own if they don’t want the world to end. His physicality and emotional empathy are constantly complimenting one another throughout the performance, allowing Bautista to balance being both terrifying and terrified. 

1. John Cena – The Suicide Squad (and Peacemaker)

If this list was about ranking the complete acting resumes of professional wrestlers, Bautista would run away with the top spot. But this is about individual performances, and no wrestler has given a better individual acting performance than John Cena.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect much from Cena after seeing him in 12 Rounds back in 2009. He has spent the years since proving me wrong. The guy has got the tools a great actor needs in their arsenal, and he brought out every single one of them for his turn as Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker.

James Gunn has said that Cena is one of the most talented actors he’s ever worked with. After The Suicide Squad and a full season of Peacemaker, it’s easy to see why he believes that. Cena will have you crying laughing about a poop joke in one scene, then crying crying over his broken childhood in the next. He’s the perfect performer for a character that’s all about turning examining real masculinity and turning expectations on their heads, and he gives it every ounce he has every time he puts on that ridiculous chrome helmet.

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