James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad hasn’t premiered yet, but one of the new characters is getting a spin-off series on HBO Max. The show will focus on John Cena’s Peacemaker and will be appropriately titled Peacemaker. HBO Max gave Peacemaker a straight to series order of eight episodes for the first season. And worry not, James Gunn will be involved. He’s on board to write all the episodes and direct multiple episodes, too. He’ll serve as executive producer alongside Peter Safran.

John Cena as Peacemaker

Warner Bros.

The DC Comics TV series will focus on Peacemaker’s origins. The weapons master, also known as Christopher Smith, features in the comics as a hero. Peacemaker first appeared in comics in 1966.  He’s described as loving peace so much that he’s willing to kill for it. So it’s not hard to imagine a character like that being right at home in the Suicide Squad. We got a first glimpse of the character in action when Gunn shared behind the scenes footage during a panel at DC FanDome in August.

Warner Bros.

In a press release Gunn said, “Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag. I’m excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series. And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake.”

Peacemaker will begin production in early 2021. The Suicide Squad is set for release on August 6, 2021. And it seems very likely this series will follow the film. That way the show can take full advantage of the world Gunn establishes in his movie.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available for pre-order now. Follow her on  Twitter and Instagram.