James Gunn Explains Why Peacemaker HBO Max Series Is 8 Episodes

December 21, 2021

HBO’s upcoming Peacemaker series starring John Cena won’t be incredibly long, lasting only eight episodes in its first season. According to director James Gunn, the reason behind that is both practical and simple.

In a Q&A session the director hosted on Twitter, Gunn was asked why they had only gone with eight episodes instead of something like “13 or even 24” for more traditional network shows. Gunn said that it came down to eight episodes just being how many episodes it took him to tell the story, although practically, his involvement in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also played a part.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1473347133537329152

“I wrote the whole series in two months during COVID,” Gunn said in his answer. “The first season is one complete story & 8 episodes was simply how long it took me to tell it. Practically, I also had to finish the series before [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3] took over my life, so I couldn’t make it too long.”

Beyond the WWE legend in the lead role, the Peacemaker series will also feature Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland, and Freddie Stroma. Like Cena, both Agee and Holland’s characters have also previously appeared in The Suicide Squad film.

Additional cast members include Lochlyn Munro (Riverdale), Chukwudi Iwuji (The Underground Railroad), Annie Chang (Shades of Blue), Christoper Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels, Supernatural), Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (The Walking Dead), Rizwan Manji (Goliath), Nhut Le (The Kroll Show) as DC hero Judomaster, Aison Araya (Arrow) as Amber, and Lenny Jacobson (Nurse Jackie) as Evan.

Based on the characters from DC, the eight-episode first season of Peacemaker is written and created by James Gunn, who directed multiple episodes. Executive producers are Gunn, Cena, Peter Safran, and Matt Miller. It is being produced by Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television.