Posted in: HBO, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: dc studios, dcu, hbo max, james gunn, peacemaker, season 2

Peacemaker: James Gunn Honors 1-Year Anniversary, Offers Eagle Advice

James Gunn took to social media to honor the one-year anniversary of HBO Max's Peacemaker (and offer a bit of eagle-hugging safety advice).

What a difference a year makes. Because back on January 13, 2022, no one was dumping their DCU ideas upon James Gunn. That's because we were still months away from him and Peter Safran being named as co-heads of Warner Bros. Discovery's DC Studios, charged with mapping out a 10-year-plan for the DCU. One year ago, all of the attention was on Gunn as the first three episodes of HBO Max's John Cena-starring "The Suicide Squad" spinoff, Peacemaker, officially hit our screens. One of the few silver linings to come out of a global pandemic, the Gunn-created series would go on to earn tons of critical praise, righteously positive viewer reactions & a green light for a second season, lighting a fire under "hair metal," and changing the way we view opening credits (meaning that we don't skip them anymore). But while things have definitely gotten a bit busier for Gunn, that doesn't mean he was going to forget his Peacemaker fam's one-year anniversary. "One year ago today [Peacemaker] debuted. Best group of people ever. Love and miss you guys and see you all soon," Gunn wrote in his Twitter & Instagram posts, including an image of the crew together.

Before any of you start speculating over what Gunn meant when he wrote "soon," here's a look at his original posts (followed by some important safety advice that Gunn offered any overly-enthusiastic fans):

And after one fan confessed that they were converted to the Peacemaker way after the first episode, Gunn offered some sage advice for anyone looking to show their appreciation for the HBO Max series by hugging random eagles willy-nilly:

"Creating 'Peacemaker' has been one of the true highlights of my life, both professionally and otherwise, with John Cena and the incredible creative team around me, as well as our partners at HBO Max," Gunn said in a statement when news of the second season was first announced. "To have something we all love so much be loved by the audience, in turn, has been a wonderful experience. I can't wait for folks to see where Team Peacemaker goes in Season Two!" Added series star John Cena, "I am incredibly honored and humbled by the response to Peacemaker and the experience of playing this character." Now here's a look at Gunn's tweet making it official and offering tons of love for all of the support, followed by Cena's reaction to the news:

Steve Agee (Super, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Brightburn) rejoined Gunn and Cena, reprising his film role of John Economos, a warden of Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary and an aide to Viola Davis' Amanda Waller. Danielle Brooks (Orange Is The New Black) joined the series as Leota Adebayo, with Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) in the role of Auggie Smith. Jennifer Holland (Brightburn) reprised her film role of Emilia Harcourt, and Freddie Stroma (Bridgerton) took 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. Alison Araya (Riverdale) & Lenny Jacobson (Narcos: Mexico) were 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) directed the eight-episode series. Gunn and Peter Safran served as executive producers, with Cena as co-executive producer. Peacemaker was produced by Gunn's Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros TV. The series explored 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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