Posted in: HBO, Opinion, streaming, Trailer, TV, TV | Tagged: dc, dc comics, hbo max, james gunn, John Cena, opinion, peacemaker, suicide squad

Peacemaker: Gunn Pushes Back on SnyderKeeper: "DC Is Not One Thing"

By now, most of you are familiar with the term "gatekeepers" and how they are basically creative cancer across the pop culture spectrum – television/streaming in particular. Let's leave it to our friends over at Urban Dictionary to explain what a gatekeeper is for us: "When someone is an a**hole enough to tell you that you don't have enough qualities to like what you want to like or be what you want to be, solely based on their opinions and experiences, even if they don't know as much about what said person aspires to like/be." Unfortunately, even with his John Cena-starring "The Suicide Squad" spinoff series for HBO Max being as well-received as it is, James Gunn's success with Peacemaker is making him an easy target for… wait for it… Snyderbronies (which for the sake of this article, we are now officially calling "SnyderKeepers"). These are the folks who take their love for Zack Snyder's run in the DCU (The Man of Steel, Justice League, etc.) to an obscene, pretty much cult-like level. They will never miss a chance to tell people that Snyder's vision is the only vision and how Snyder is constantly mistreated by WarnerMedia. They also look for any excuse to trash any DCU-related project that doesn't have Snyder's signature on it.

And when that project is one like Gunn's that's being as well-received by viewers and critics alike? Well, that definitely gets their brony britches in a bunch. So does it surprise me when one from their ilk looks to pass some kind of moral judgment on Peacemaker, implying that it somehow knocks these characters off of the pedestal of greatness they clearly believe Snyder established? Nope. But I was surprised and impressed by Gunn's response, which put into words not just the entire concept of the multiverse but also promoted the importance of opening one's mind to different artistic takes & expressions (and in a way much nicer than we ever could).

"DC is not one thing. A beautiful aspect of comics – & films based on comics – is they can be in any genre & for many ages," Gunn tweeted in response to one SnyderKeeper in particular. "Most of us are comfortable seeing a variety of feels in our comics, films & shows." Imagine the audacity of Gunn to dare tell everyone to like what they like and to let everyone else like the things they like, am I right? It's almost like he's saying it's okay to have different takes and different versions of the things we love… as we've had for years. Here's a look at a screencap of Gunn's tweet (sorry, but we're not giving free press to the person whose tweet Gunn was responding to):

Earlier this month, Gunn spoke with Collider confirming that he's looking to return to television land for DC in the future. "You know, we're stepping forward. It keeps happening. We'll see what's happening, and I'll know what's happening very shortly. I dealt with it last night and this morning," Gunn revealed when asked about his future projects. But whether or not it would be another "The Suicide Squad" spinoff or another part of the DCU, Gunn wasn't ready to go there quite yet: "It's TV. There you go."

Well, it would appear that Gunn is now ready to go there- at least a little bit. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Gunn confirmed that another spinoff from "The Suicide Squad" universe was in the works during an upcoming episode of DH's "Hero Nation" podcast. While the project is said to be "in the embryonic stages," HBO Max is reportedly more than interested in what Gunn has to offer. "We're working on something else now, another TV show that's connected to that universe. I can't quite say," Gunn revealed. When asked if Peter Capaldi's (Doctor Who) The Thinker could be the focus, Gunn laughed before revealing that the series will be of a different genre. "I can't say anything. It is connected to this universe, and I don't think it will be the same genre as 'Peacemaker,' it won't be as much a comedy as 'Peacemaker,' but it will be in the same universe," Gunn explained. As for a possible second season of Peacemaker? Gunn likes how those chances are looking with each well-received episode. "There's a really good chance of that. We're the biggest show in the world right now," Gunn stated about the possibility of a second run. "The show is doing extraordinarily well, and we're excited, we all like doing it, we just need to cross some Ts and dot some Is, which is basically me."

Steve Agee (Super, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Brightburn) rejoins Gunn and Cena when he reprises his film role of John Economos, a warden of Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary and an aide to Viola Davis' Amanda Waller (the actor also portrays King Shark in the film). Danielle Brooks (Orange Is The New Black) joins the series as Leota Adebayo, with Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) in the role of Auggie Smith. Jennifer Holland (Brightburn) reprises her film role of Emilia Harcourt, and Freddie Stroma (Bridgerton) takes on the role of Adrian Chase aka Vigilante. In addition, Chukwudi Iwuji (When They See Us) as Clemson Murn, Lochlyn Munro (Riverdale) as Larry Fitzgibbon, Annie Chang (Shades of Blue) as Detective Sophie Song, Christopher Heyerdahl (Togo) as Captain Locke, Nhut Le (Kroll Show) as Judomaster, and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (The Walking Dead) and Rizwan Manji (Perfect Harmony) as recurring characters of Keeya and Jamil. Recently, Alison Araya (Riverdale) and Lenny Jacobson (Narcos: Mexico) have been tapped for the roles of the married couple Amber and Evan, respectively.

Gunn, Brad Anderson (Session 9), Rosemary Rodriguez (The Walking Dead), and Jody Hill (The Righteous Gemstones) direct the eight-episode series. Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers, with Cena as co-executive producer. Peacemaker will be produced by Gunn's Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros TV. The series explores the origins of Cena's The Suicide Squad character, a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.

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