Peacemaker series will be set both before and after The Suicide Squad, hints James Gunn

Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad
(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

James Gunn has revealed a little more about his upcoming Peacemaker series, and more specifically the time frame in which it takes place.

The series is billed as exploring the origins of the character of the same name (played by John Cena) who believes in peace at any cost, even if he has to kill people to get it. But it looks like the HBO Max TV show will also feature Peacemaker's future, post-The Suicide Squad.

"Through the story, you learn where Peacemaker came from," Gunn told Variety. "There’s a moment in the movie where Bloodsport talks about his father and what his father was like, and you cut to a shot of Peacemaker, and Peacemaker nods. That’s the seed of the entire Peacemaker series. So we get to see Peacemaker with his father, who’s played by Robert Patrick, where he came from, what he’s done, what that means to him, and where he’s going after all of this."

Gunn added: "He’s not an evil person, he’s just a bad guy. He seems sort of irredeemable in the film. But I think that there’s more to him. We didn’t get a chance to know him [in The Suicide Squad] in the way we get to know some of the other characters. And so that’s what the whole show is about. I needed eight episodes to do it, at least."

Gunn wrote the eight-episode series and will direct some of the episodes, while Cena is co-executive producer. Alongside Cena and Patrick, the cast also includes Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, and Chukwudi Iwuji.

Peacemaker is due to start streaming on HBO Max in January 2022. While we wait, make sure you're up to date with the DCEU with our guide to watching the DC movies in order.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.