After the commercial success of The Suicide Squad, James Gunn basks in the aftermath of the fame and glory of yet another Hollywood blockbuster. With time, HBO Max picked up the unhinged villain of the film and made a solo series out of John Cena’s character, Peacemaker, whose only motto in life dictates — “I cherish peace with all my heart, I don’t care how many men, women and children I need to kill to get it.”
Related article: ‘Cheap Suicide Squad Knockoff’: Marvel Fans Fight Back As DC Fans Roasts Thunderbolts Film
James Gunn Talks About Peacemaker TV Spin-Off
John Cena has found a favorable climate in the Hollywood spotlight with good scripts headed his way and an on-screen presence making him adaptable to action-adventure as well as comedic gold. In the follow-up to The Suicide Squad, the Peacemaker spin-off series merges both tropes perfectly and engages an empathetic audience to find a degree of sense and meaning in the anti-hero’s motivations.
Also read: Peacemaker Series Facts We Bet You Didn’t Know About
While speaking at a press tour event at the Television Critics Association in early 2022, James Gunn said his inspiration to follow through with a Peacemaker spin-off rather than Bloodsport was to do with the conflicted morality of the character.
“At the end of The Suicide Squad, Bloodsport learns a lot. He’s a better person than he was at the beginning. A lot of the characters are much better than they were at the beginning, and Peacemaker has a lot to learn. It’s that ability to learn that for me makes him a little bit more likable. His blindspots in some places are pretty terrible, and in some places are him being ignorant. I think that’s an important distinction to make as well. He is open at the same time, sometimes.”
Related article: Peacemaker Has A Secret Zack Snyder Connection
Will There Be a Bloodsport TV Series?
Idris Elba’s character in The Suicide Squad, i.e. Bloodsport was a major addition to the DC Universe. The horn of the dilemma lies in the fact that the audience had to choose between two villains. In a narrative’s scope, the plot needs to present a greater evil when the whole cast is supposedly anti-heroic. So, in conclusion, Bloodsport turns to the light and leaves better than when he came in while Peacemaker is left even more unhinged than before.
Also read: Bloodsport Spin-Off: James Gunn Spills the Beans On Bringing Back, Idris Elba
The decision to choose Peacemaker for a spin-off decidedly strikes off a major chunk of Idris Elba’s screentime from the DC comic storyline. But it’s not all in favor of the sociopathic killer as James Gunn still remains open to making a Bloodsport series with Elba, as indicated by his cryptic tweet in May captioned — “Supervillain walks alone. #Bloodsport.” — followed by a more direct response:
“I’m always open to working with Idris again (and Bloodsport). It’s just a matter of I only have so many hours in the day.”
Peacemaker Season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Comicbook
