Peacemaker’s John Cena on Getting Role After Dave Bautista’s Rejection

John Cena revealed James Gunn’s original plan for Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad. In a recent interview, Cena explained that he wasn’t the first choice for the role and described how his collaboration with Gunn shaped the character’s journey. The discussion comes as Peacemaker Season 2 airs and fans expect his return in Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow.

Peacemaker’s John Cena ‘could care less’ about being James Gunn’s second pick

John Cena responded to James Gunn initially wanting Dave Bautista for Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad. Speaking to GQ, Cena said, “Well, I mean, first of all, I could care less about being anybody’s first, second, third or fourth pick. Opportunity in life comes to you in a myriad of different ways, and if I wanted to be salty about like, ‘Oh, I wasn’t first pick, that’s beneath me.’ I wouldn’t have ever gotten a chance. And keep in mind I got killed off in The Suicide Squad.”

Notably, Gunn told Howard Stern earlier this month that he wrote Peacemaker for Bautista, but the Drax actor chose other projects. “I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him, and we offered him the role. But [he] was offered two movies. We weren’t paying him a lot, so he had to go where the money was,” Gunn explained. The role later went to Cena, who reprised it in his HBO Max spin-off series.

Cena said his work with Gunn began on the 2021 film, The Suicide Squad, and grew into a friendship. Referencing Peacemaker’s survival after initially being scripted to die, Cena said, “I think he saw nuance in the performance he was able to bring out of me. ‘There’s more to this guy. And as a storyteller and as someone who puts words on paper and wants to bring those words to life and be prolific and have depth, I think this guy can help me out and I’d like to try to work with him again.’ So that’s why I ended up in the hospital instead of the morgue.”

Cena also commented on the viral photo with David Corenswet, saying he wanted to meet him and offer support. “I desperately wanted to meet David… David is Superman. That’s not something you take lightly,” Cena added. He returns as Chris Smith in Peacemaker Season 2 and could also appear in Gunn’s Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.

Originally reported by Vritti Johar on SuperHeroHype.

The post Peacemaker’s John Cena on Getting Role After Dave Bautista’s Rejection appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.