James Gunn Shares Update on ‘Peacemaker’ Season 3

James Gunn has been busy juggling Superman and Peacemaker, but fans finally got a big update after the release of Episode 6 of Peacemaker Season 2. The episode, called “Ignorance Is Chris,” shocked audiences by revealing that the alternate world John Cena’s Chris Smith has been traveling to is actually a Nazi-controlled America.

On top of that, the episode featured the biggest surprise of the season so far: Nicholas Hoult showing up as Lex Luthor.

The story also gave Rick Flag Sr., played by Frank Grillo, a big moment at Belle Reve. He makes a deal that James Gunn himself described as “a really important moment for the entire DCU” while talking about it on Peacemaker: The Official Podcast With James Gunn.

After the episode aired, Gunn spoke with Collider to break down the big cameo and the direction of both Peacemaker and the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. When asked directly if Season 3 of Peacemaker was already in the works, Gunn didn’t give a clear yes. Instead, he explained that while the characters will continue, it might not be in the form of a third season.

“It is not right now. I think that people should—that doesn’t mean there aren’t plans for these characters, but it’s not necessarily Season 3 of Peacemaker. And then people should watch Episode 8 to see what happens, because maybe some of your questions will be answered in that episode by itself.”

The big twist about the Nazi-dominated alternate reality had been the subject of online fan theories for weeks. Gunn said part of the idea came from Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle and explained how it connects to Chris Smith’s personal struggles.

“Instead, we’re constantly trying to change that stuff, and that’s Christopher Smith. He’s unhappy with the fact that he hasn’t been accepted as a hero. He’s unhappy that his father was abusive and unkind.”

“He’s unhappy that his brother is dead… So he finds another world in which the girl he loves fawns over him, and his brother is alive, and his father is kind, and he’s a hero. But like anything, there’s a darkness to it all. There’s something that he’s not seeing. … I mean, the price in this case is Nazi America. That’s what the price of all this happiness was on the show.”

Peacemaker’s second season was ordered back in 2022, but production hit delays after Gunn took over as co-CEO of DC Studios and shifted focus to Superman.

The spin-off series Waller was meant to come first, but strikes in Hollywood pushed everything back. In 2024, Gunn announced that Season 2 of Peacemaker would move ahead instead. Some filming started in April of that year and later overlapped with Superman at Trilith Studios in Atlanta. Full production ran from June to November.

The season finally premiered on HBO Max on August 21, It has eight episodes in total and critics have already praised it, saying it’s even stronger than the first season. Reviews highlight John Cena’s performance and the expanded cast, which includes Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, and Robert Patrick.

For now, Gunn has made it clear that even if Peacemaker doesn’t get another season, the characters and their stories aren’t going away anytime soon.

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