John Cena’s starring role in the hit series Peacemaker has become a beloved part of the DC Universe. After a strong Season 1 of the show, Season 2 has come out to rave reviews from critics and fans alike. It’s been so impressive that Peacemaker currently still boasts a 99 percent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The performance by Cena has been especially impressive, and not surprisingly, DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn offered him high praise for it. Interestingly, Gunn also made a surprising reveal during a recent interview on the Howard Stern Show, admitting that the part of Peacemaker was actually written for another actor.
James Gunn Reveals How John Cena Landed ‘Peacemaker’ Role
As Gunn explained to Stern, it was actually Dave Bautista for whom the part of Peacemaker was initially written. However, Bautista had another offer for more money at the time, and ultimately went with the money. I guess, as they say, the rest was history.
“It was Dave Bautista, who’s a good friend of mine,” Gunn said. “Obviously, he plays Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy. And I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him, and 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.”
“And I had always been a fan of John [Cena] since Trainwreck, especially, I thought he was so, so funny in that movie,” Gunn continued. “That I met with him, we talked, we became instant, instant friends. And since then, you know I’ve worked with him more than any other actor because I’ve done two seasons of Peacemaker, Suicide Squad and we’re going to be doing more together. So, he is a fantastic guy, a fantastic actor, and really, I think I love the Peacemaker show more than anything else I’ve ever done.”
While the role was written for Bautista, which isn’t surprising as Gunn directed Guardians of the Galaxy while at Marvel, it’s interesting to hear how things transpired and led to Cena. Obviously, the two get along extremely well, and at this point, it’s hard to envision anyone as Peacemaker other than Cena.
Along with Peacemaker’s stellar 99 percent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the show has earned a strong. 80 percent score from fans, based on more than 1,000 verified reviews. The second season of Peacemaker has released its first three episodes, with episode four set for Thursday, Sept. 11, on HBO Max.
Related: James Gunn Drops First Big ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Superman–Lex Luthor Twist
