Entertainment Extra

2 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA By Kyla Brewer TV Media L ooks can be deceiving. Upon first glance, TV's latest super- power has all the hallmarks of a hero: a chiseled jaw, bulging muscles, a fancy suit and even a sidekick. Yet on the inside, he's a bit of a hot mess — though that's exactly why audiences seem to relate to him. John Cena ("Bumblebee," 2018) stars as Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker, in the season finale of "Peacemaker," airing Thursday, Feb. 17, on HBO Max. The series is a spinoff of the hit 2021 action flick "The Suicide Squad," in which Cena was first seen as the titular character. Peacemaker believes in peace at any cost, even if it means killing people to get it. The show picks up months after the movie left off. Peacemaker has recovered from the injuries he sustained in the film only to be pulled back into a life of conflict when he's recruit- ed to a mysterious black-ops squad by intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, "How to Get Away with Murder"), head of Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad. Given a choice between returning to jail or tackling an alien threat in a mission known as Project Butterfly, Peacemaker reluctantly agrees to the mission. While traditional superheroes would jump at the chance to save the world, Peacemaker is less than enthusiastic. In a January interview with Fandom. com's Eric Goldman, Cena explained what his character is going through. "Peacemaker is a dude who has had a series of events, which has made him question his entire life," Cena said. "And I think that's very relevant to a lot of us." Creator and director James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy," 2014) obviously agrees. He was reportedly inspired by Cena's portrayal of Peacemaker while filming "The Suicide Squad" and wrote the spinoff during the 2020 COVID-19 lock- down. It was ordered straight to series by HBO Max in September 2020 and filmed in Vancouver between January and July 2021. Gunn has brought his trade- mark tongue-in-cheek vibe to the new series, as evidenced from the very beginning in the goofy opening credits dance scene. It immediately tells view- ers the show is not taking itself too seriously as the characters show off their moves to Wig Wam's "Do Ya Wanna Taste It." As each of the main cast mem- bers joins the fun, viewers meet the characters who bring the story to life. First up after Cena is Danielle Brooks ("Orange Is the New Black"), who plays Leota Adebayo, a new member of the Project Butterfly team who hap- pens to be Waller's daughter. Although she and Peacemaker have very different views, they quickly strike up a genuine friendship. Unlike many of the others in the series, her character does not exist in the original comics. Freddie Stroma ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," 2009) is the next to show off his moves as the crime-fighter Vigilante, aka Adrian Chase. Unlike other iterations of the comic book character, "Peacemaker's" Vigilante is more sociopath than hero, albeit one who looks up to the title charac- ter. Stroma, a late addition to the cast after actor Chris Conrad ("Young Hercules") dropped out of the role, had to reshoot five and a half episodes' worth of Vigilante scenes upon his arrival. Jennifer Holland ("Brightburn," 2019) appears as A.R.G.U.S. Agent Emilia Harcourt, a role she originated in the film. Harcourt quickly attracts Peacemaker's attention, but she doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him in the beginning. While Gunn has hint- ed that their relationship will develop throughout the series, that doesn't necessarily mean they will become romantically entangled. Fellow "The Suicide Squad" alum Steve Agee ("New Girl") reprises his role as John Economos, an A.R.G.U.S. agent who provides tactical support to the team, while Mercenary Clemson Murn is played by Nigerian-British actor Chukwudi Iwuji ("Designated Survivor"). Murn serves as the leader of Project Butterfly and reports directly to Waller. Much like Adebayo, Iwuji's character was created specifically for the "Peacemaker" series. The opening sequence also features recurring characters played by Elizabeth Ludlow ("The Walking Dead"), Annie Chang ("Shades of Blue"), Lochlyn Munro ("Riverdale") and Rizwan Manji ("Schitt's Creek"). While "Peacemaker" is Gunn's first series, he's no stranger to the superhero genre. As one of the creative brains behind Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise, Gunn has a good idea of what comic book fans appreciate in a large-scale pro- duction. And given his decision to hide the details of the finale, one of those appreciated aspects appears to be anticipation. Schwering Realty 2 x 2" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" On the Cover Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Holland star in "Peacemaker" 'Peacemaker' wraps up first season Chase Center 3 x 2" American Legion Post 60 2 x 3" Thrifty Muffler 2 x 2.5"

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