John Cena is an iconic name in the WWE world, who entertained his fans with entertaining wrestling matches over the years. The star wrestler made his big screen debut with the film The Marine in 2006 and his performance was widely appreciated. Cena has garnered a massive fan following, owing to his broad and muscular physique, along with his charismatic screen presence. With movies like The Marine, Fast and Furious, The Wall, and more, he has become one of the gems of the Hollywood industry.
The Suicide Squad star’s road to success was not as smooth as it seems, and the actor has put in a lot of hard work and dedication to attain stardom. John Cena has now taken up the role of Peacemaker from DC Comics.
Also read-The Suicide Squad: John Cena’s Peacemaker Gets HBO Max Spin-Off Series
John Cena was not the first choice of James Gunn for Peacemaker
John Cena made his DC world debut with the highly talked about film Suicide Squad 2. It was released in August 2022 and was a commercial success. Numerous celebs reprised their roles in the movie including Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney. However, the most entertaining character was John Cena as Peacemaker. Owing to their appreciation for the role, he has his spinoff series with the name Peacemaker.
However, as per reports, the Trainwreck actor was not the first choice of the director James Gunn. His previous work with Gunn was quite impressive, hence, HBO Max ordered the first season of a spinoff series. James Gunn was completely surprised by this news as he shared with Entertainment Weekly that Cena was a risky choice. He shared his worries,
“I’m hiring someone without auditioning.”
Cena’s character, Peacemaker will share the screen with Squad newcomers including Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Steve Agee as King Shark, and David Dastmalchian as the Polka-Dot Man.
Why did Dave Bautista pass on the role of Peacemaker?
As per reports by Screen Rant in 2019, director James Gunn’s first choice for the role was My Spy star, Dave Bautista. The actor was last seen on screen as Drax the Destroyer in the MCU project, Guardians of the Galaxy. As both Peacemaker and Drax have similar roles with an emphasis on physical strength, Bautista was a valid choice.
However, reported Bautista’s contract for Guardians of the Galaxy required him to do one more movie in the franchise, and it might have conflicted with the filming of The Suicide Squad. Hence the actor passed up on the opportunity.
Bautista also denied the role of Peacemaker for the chance to work with filmmaker Zack Snyder, as per the reports by Entertainment Weekly.
In another interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cena shared that he didn’t feel like a second choice,
“I didn’t look at myself as a second choice; I just looked at it as a chance to do the best I could. It is a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity.”
Cena and Gunn will continue to work together in season one of the Peacemaker spinoff series. The series is described as an action-adventure-comedy, showcasing the character’s origin story and giving insight into the Suicide Squad universe.
Peacemaker Season 1 was released in 2022 and people can watch it on Amazon Prime.
Source- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
