James Gunn, like many directors, likes to work with his friends. We’ve seen actors like Nathan Fillion and Michael Rooker repeatedly show up in the writer and director’s work. Many of the actors who have worked with Gunn in the past have expressed interest in working with him again.
It turns out one Guardians of the Galaxy star could have done just that. James Gunn has revealed he had a specific actor in mind when he created Peacemaker for The Suicide Squad, and it wasn't John Cena, but another WWE megastar.
Dave Bautista Was Almost Peacemaker
Appearing on The Howard Stern Show, James Gunn confirmed that he actually wrote the role of Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad for his former Drax, Dave Bautista. However, with Bautista being a fairly hot commodity, in large part because of the Guardians films, the actor simply had to take a better offer on the table. Gunn said:
It was Dave Bautista. He's a good friend of mine. 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 other movies, and we weren't paying him a lot, and so he had to go where the money was.
Bautista himself spoke about his decision back in 2021. He revealed that he’d been offered a role in The Suicide Squad, though he never mentioned what the role was. He ultimately decided to take Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead for Netflix over Gunn’s superhero movie. Bautista expressed an interest in that particular script and a desire to work with Snyder as the reasons for his choice, though the money probably didn’t hurt.
An Amy Schumer Comedy Led James Gunn To John Cena
And so, if one former professional wrestler turns down your action movie, I suppose it makes some sense to consider others. James Gunn mentions being a fan of Amy Schumer’s comedy Trainwreck, in which John Cena played a scene-stealing role. That was enough to get the two together, and the rest is history. Gunn continued:
I had always been a fan of John since Trainwreck, especially. I thought he was so, so funny in that movie that I met with him, we talked, we became instant friends. And then 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.
The Peacemaker role has certainly turned out to be a success for Cena, leading to not just the movie role but two seasons of television (Season 2 is airing right now on the 2025 TV schedule for those with an HBO Max subscription). And Gunn and Cena clearly work well together, with Gunn calling Cena the best improv actor he's ever worked with.
It will apparently also lead to more, as Gunn says he and Cena will be working together again in the future. Nobody needs to worry too much about Dave Bautista, though; he seems to be getting the roles that he wants, including the rom-com that had long eluded him.
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