‘Peacemaker’ Renewed for Season 2 on HBO Max

HBO Max cherishes Peacemaker with all its heart.

The streamer has renewed James Gunn’s DC Extended Universe action-comedy for a second season.

Gunn and star John Cena announced the news on social media Wednesday.

The Suicide Squad spinoff series launched in January to strong reviews, with Cena reprising his role as the brutish yet charming government assassin Chris Smith/Peacemaker, who’s paired with a team of fellow agents on a mission to save the world from an alien invasion.

“Creating Peacemaker has been one of the true highlights of my life, both professionally and otherwise, with John Cena and the incredible creative team around me, as well as our partners at HBO Max,” Gunn said in a statement. “To have something we all love so much be loved by the audience in turn has been a wonderful experience. I can’t wait for folks to see where team Peacemaker goes in season two!”

Added Cena: “I am incredibly honored and humbled by the response to Peacemaker and the experience of playing this character.”

Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max, stated, “The brilliance of James Gunn once again shines with Peacemaker. He took this character, brought to life by the inimitable John Cena and created an exceptional series that’s simultaneously thrilling, hilarious and heartfelt, showcasing the humanity beneath this team of misfits living in a superhuman world. As the first original DC show to have its series premiere on HBO Max, we are thrilled that the viewers agreed to give peace a f***ing chance.”

That’s right, #Peacemaker is coming back for Season Two. Thanks to Peter Safran, @JohnCena, our incredible cast & crew, our wildly supportive & lovely friends at @HBOMax – and mostly all of you for watching! @DCpeacemaker pic.twitter.com/wZSZBivrDQ

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 16, 2022

Gunn has said he also has ideas for more Suicide Squad spinoffs, something HBO Max programming chief Casey Bloys was asked about in a recent Hollywood Reporter interview. “One of the things that [Warner Bros. chair and CEO] Ann Sarnoff has been big on is trying to make DC work in a more organized and integrated way,” he said. “I wasn’t there before so I don’t know how things were done, but since I started at HBO Max a year and a half ago, we spend a lot of time talking with Toby [Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures chair] and Walter [Hamada, president of DC Films] and Jim Lee at DC, and we’re trying to be mindful about how all the pieces work together. In my estimation, it feels very well organized. That’s something that was very important to Ann when she started a few years ago.”

The news was announced just ahead of the show’s first-season finale, which drops on Thursday, Feb. 17.