News: John Cena to Star in “Suicide Squad” Spin-Off Series “Peacemaker” on HBO Max
John Cena continues to be a busy man even while not appearing on WWE television anymore. The 16-time former WWE Champion John Cena will star in his own TV series based off the “Suicide Squad” character he portrayed called Peacemaker. The series has been picked up by HBO Max. Here’s more info from Deadline.
HBO Max has called in the Peacemaker – ordering a TV spin-off of James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad movie starring John Cena.
The streamer has handed Peacemaker an eight-episode straight-to-series order for its first season with The Suicide Squad director writing all episodes and directing a number of them.
The show will explore the origins of the character that Cena plays in the 2021 movie.
In the Deadspin article, John Cena said: “I have said before that it has been a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity to be part of The Suicide Squad and to work with James on what is going to be a fantastic movie. I am unbelievably excited to have the chance to team up with him again for Peacemaker. We can’t wait for fans to see this.”
Peacemaker is a man “who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.”
Sounds like a babyface professional wrestler, which Cena was for over a decade, but there’s no killing part in wrestling.
WWE covered the news as well.
The WWE Universe meets the DC Universe as John Cena is set to star in the “Suicide Squad” spin-off series “Peacemaker.” The 16-time World Champion will play the title role for the upcoming HBO Max series.
The latest edition of “Suicide Squad” is set for the big screen Aug. 6, 2021, as the series will provide the first glimpse of Cena’s Peacemaker persona. Production will begin in early 2021 with “Suicide Squad” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn helming the project.
Cena also currently hosts Nickelodeon’s “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and has starred in films such as “Blockers,” “Trainwreck,” “Bumblebee,” “Ferdinand,” and the upcoming ninth installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise. Cena will also serve as a co-executive producer for the “Peacemaker” series.
Cena sent out a tweet proclaiming his excitement for the opportunity.
Working alongside @JamesGunn on #SuicideSquad was an absolute masterclass in how to best bring beloved characters to life in a new and fun way. I cannot wait for the #DCUniverse to experience more of absurdity that is the Peacemaker in this new project on @hbomax!!! pic.twitter.com/PZ9dOa7Dzj
— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 23, 2020
Director James Gunn also tweeted about it.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1308805855974834176
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1308834178826469381
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1308835541786517507
TJR Thoughts: Good for John Cena. I’m not into the Suicide Squad movies and these types of things, but good for Cena getting a big acting role like this and a series where he’ll be the star. That’s awesome.
Cena’s last match in a WWE ring was in January 2019 if you don’t count the Firefly Fun House “match” at WrestleMania that was not really a match in the ring. When is his next match in a ring? No idea. It could be a while.