Posted in: HBO, Max, Movies, TV | Tagged: creature commandos, peacemaker, superman

James Gunn on Grillo/Rick Flag Sr.'s Peacemaker/Superman Importance

James Gunn offered new insights into the importance of Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. (Creature Commandos) in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.

When it comes to DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran's New DCU, Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. is someone who fans are going to become every familiar with in a very short period of time. This December, the animated version of the character will be leading Max's Creature Commandos. Following that, he's appearing in writer/director Gunn's David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan-starring Superman film – and here's currently working on the second season of John Cena-starring Peacemaker. After sharing how "great" Grillo has been doing as Rick Flag Sr. in all three projects last month, Gunn shared some additional details with EW on what the character brings to the New DCU.

"He is a really cool character that Frank has been molding. The character's also in 'Superman,' and he's an incredibly important part of '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 shared about Grillo's approach to Rick Flag Sr. "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."

As for the casting, Gunn added that he had been wanting to work with Grillo for some time now (and now Gunn is getting to, three times over). "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," said Gunn. "The actors have to be able to work within different genres, and that's something Frank's really been good at," he added. "He's been really good at the comedy of 'Creature Commandos' and also really good at the drama of 'Peacemaker' and 'Superman.'"

James Gunn's (Peacemaker, Superman) Creature Commandos Intel

Thanks to a video presentation from Gunn (busy working on Superman and Peacemaker Season 2) during the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival, we learned much more about what we can expect – and yes, those in attendance got a look at the adult animated series (though not released). The first look involved Waller (Viola Davis), G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), Nina (Zoe Chao), and the topic of killing Nazis, followed by a fight scene between deep-sleeper Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk)

"It's a cornerstone of the legacy we've been entrusted to carry at DC Studios and plays an integral role in the vision for our future storytelling," Gunn shared with those in attendance. "Since taking the reins, our true north has been to bring DC film, TV, animation, and gaming into alignment under a single banner and bring a sense of unity and consistency into the DCU as a whole. This frees us to create a range of products that are diverse and compelling and deliver great stand-alone entertainment experiences on every medium while also being part of a larger story that we're telling within our unified DCU."

Gunn continued, "What this means in practical terms is that our characters can move in and out of animation or jump into a game or onto the big screen, but they will remain consistent throughout: same character, same history, same actor." For example, Davis is reprising her live-action role as Amanda Waller for the animated series, and Grillo's animated Rick Flag Sr. will be making the jump into live-action for the second season of Max's Peacemaker. From there, Gunn shared that the series will pick up "directly" from the first season finale of the John Cena-starring series – with Waller finding "her hands tied operationally."

"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. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker," Gunn revealed during the video presentation. That makes our leads a very different kind of hero than what viewers may have been used to in the past – and that's one of the things Gunn loves about the series: they "are actual literal monsters, and I can't wait for you to meet them. Creating this series has been one of the absolute joys of my life."

The role call for the adult animated series (and any potential live-action takes) includes Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., with Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot & Weasel, Steve Agee returning as John Economos, and Anya Chalotra taking on the role of Circe. Kevin Kiner and Clint Mansell (Peacemaker, Doom Patrol) are scoring the animated series,

First introduced by J.M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick in Weird War Tales #93 (November 1980), the comic book series focused on Frankenstein's monster teaming with a werewolf, a vampire, and a gorgon to fight Nazis in World War II. The series has the distinction of being the first DCU project that Gunn & Safran gave the green light to (with Gunn having penned the series) and the first from DC Studios that will hit screens. In addition, the series is being cast with voice actors who could also play their characters in a live-action project down the road.

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