The other WWE star James Gunn wanted for Peacemaker instead of John Cena

Before landing on WWE star John Cena as Peacemaker, the series’ creator, James Gunn, wanted one of his rivals, Dave Bautista, for the DC part.

Of course, this should come as no surprise. Gunn previously directed Bautista in the highly successful Guardians of the Galaxy series for Marvel.

Appearing on The Howard Stern Show, Gunn recalled wanting Bautista to play the part. However, Bautista, a hot commodity, had to chase the paycheck.

“I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him,” Gunn said. “We offered him the role, but he was offered two movies and we weren’t paying him a lot, so he had to go where the money was.”

So, how did Gunn land on Cena? Well, he was a fan of Cena’s work in the comedy Trainwreck, which led them to connect. They clicked, becoming “instant friends, and the role was Cena’s. Cena would first appear in The Suicide Squad, which Gunn directed, before getting his HBO Max spin-off series.

“Since then, I’ve worked with him more than any other actor because I’ve done two seasons of Peacemaker, [The] Suicide Squad, and we are going to be doing more together,” Gunn praised. “He is a fantastic guy, a fantastic actor.”

How did WWE star John Cena land the Peacemaker role?

Despite what you may think, Cena didn’t have to audition for the role of Peacemaker. “I just put him in it,” Gunn said on The Howard Stern Show.

However, he did concede that it began as a “simple” role before it got fleshed out. A moment on The Suicide Squad became the genesis of the character’s evolution.

“It just got deeper and deeper,” he explained. “There was a moment on the set of The Suicide Squad where I went to this close-up [of] John, and I went all the way in on his eyes, and I saw the stuff that was occurring behind his eyes, and I thought, Wow, this guy could really act. And I think if you see Season 2, he is absolutely not only funny, not only grounded, but also incredibly emotional, and I can’t wait for people to see the rest of the season.”

The rest is history. Cena has run with the role, and Gunn loves the series. “I think I love the Peacemaker show more than anything else I’ve ever done,” he raved.

There are still four more episodes remaining in Peacemaker Season 2. A new episode will premiere every Thursday on HBO Max through October 9, 2025.

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