Posted in: HBO, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV | Tagged: hbo max, james gunn, John Cena, peacemaker, preview, trailer

Peacemaker: Yes, That Really Was John Cena Covering Mötley Crüe

With all of the dangling cliffhangers that we found ourselves left with by the time the credits rolled on "Murn After Reading," we found yet another reason to be impressed with James Gunn's HBO Max series Peacemaker. While most shows will leave you with that much tension with a final episode to go, knowing that we have two more leaves us feeling confident that we won't be getting a rushed, squeeze-everything-in season finale (oh, just announce the second season already!). And series star John Cena blew our minds with his piano cover of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home"- and yes, that really was Cena playing a Composer John Murphy's (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) arrangement.

"As a side note, the piano tuner came in to tune our piano the day we shot this & was grumbling about how old & shitty it was. But this seemed to more likely be the kind of piano that was abandoned in an old video store, & more true to the story, so we went with it," Gunn added about preparing for the scene. "Chris Smith is an artist who has been decimated by this world. He's been decimated by who his parents are, what his surroundings are, & the entire culture he's been brought up in. This is not to say he is not culpable; he is. But he is emotionally mute, unable to express himself. I think when he's playing the piano here it's the first time we've really seen him. Everything else has been noise & drama & puffery," Gunn explained about what that moment meant to Chris. But it was a touching & personal story that Gunn shared about Cena and his piano playing that won us over in a big way.

"While we were shooting 'The Suicide Squad' in Panama, I got word my dog of nearly 17 years was about to pass away. It was one of the saddest days of my life. I decided to fly home for a day to be with him. I sat in the hotel lobby bar with John waiting to be taken to the airport," Gunn revealed in two follow-up tweets. "John got up & sat at the grand piano & played the most beautiful rendition of The Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind.' It crushed me & yet soothed me & everyone around me was crying. I wanted to capture some semblance of that moment with this song." You can check out Cena's piano cover over at the Peacemaker Official Playlist or directly here.

Early last 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."

And then just before the month ended, Deadline Hollywood reported that Gunn confirmed 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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