Zack Snyder’s Non-dc Sequel Made James Gunn Choose John Cena Over Original Peacemaker Actor

James Gunn has a knack for transforming Z-list characters into beloved fan-favorites, and John Cena‘s Peacemaker is arguably its biggest example. But in his recent appearance on The Howard Stern show, the director shared he originally wrote the character for Dave Bautista in The Suicide Squad, with whom he developed a great friendship during the Guardians movies.

However, Bautista’s commitments to Zack Snyder‘s Army of the Dead, the spiritual successor to Dawn of the Dead, caused the deal to fall through.

It was Dave Bautista, who’s a good friend of mine. Obviously, he plays Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy and I wrote the character of…