Peacemaker DCU movie gets cryptic tease from James Gunn before Season 2

Will John Cena ever star in his own Peacemaker movie in the DCU? James Gunn knows the answer – just don’t expect him to tell you (yet).

Gunn’s DCU may have officially launched with Superman, but fans got a taste of his vision for the franchise in The Suicide Squad, 2021’s bloody, unofficial reboot that introduced Cena as Peacemaker.

Cena reprised his role a year later, headlining an acclaimed, well-watched HBO Max series that paved the way for Gunn and Peter Safran’s takeover at DC Studios. While it may be a stretch to describe Peacemaker as a household name, audience reactions to his cameo in Superman were widely enthusiastic, and he may be about to become one of the most important characters in the entire franchise.

Peacemaker Season 2 is a direct follow-up to Superman (Gunn has even teased a “really big” cameo). The question is, will Cena ever make the leap to the big screen in his own feature?

James Gunn addresses if there will be a Peacemaker DCU movie

Warner Bros

During a roundtable ahead of the second season’s premiere (via ComicBook), Gunn was asked if fans can expect to see Peacemaker in his own movie, or if he’ll be exclusive to HBO Max for the foreseeable future.

“I actually know the answer to that question,” Gunn said.

“And I am not at liberty to say under penalty of the Safran punishment, which is a loss of my knuckle. Every time I give away something, Peter Safran will take away another joint of my finger. It’s very painful. He uses a cigar cutter.”

In the dying days of the DCEU, the Peacemaker cast popped up in multiple projects. Jennifer Holland’s Harcourt appeared in Black Adam, while Harcourt and Steve Agee’s John Economos show up in Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ mid-credits scene to invite Billy to the Justice Society.

To be clear, those cameos may as well have never happened in the first place. “They’re not canon. I hate it,” he told Den of Geek.

One thing is certain: Peacemaker Season 2 is a crucial stepping stone for Gunn’s larger plans for the DCU.

“It’s a big part, definitely Superman leads directly into Peacemaker; it should be noted that this is for adults, not for children, but Superman leads into this show and then we have the setting up of all of the rest of the DCU in this season of Peacemaker, it’s incredibly important,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Peacemaker Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on August 21. In the meantime, check out our guide to every DCU movie and show in development and our list of the best superhero movies ever made.