James Gunn Breaks His Silence on the ‘Waller’ Show: Is Viola Davis’ DCU Series Still Alive?

Few DC characters have a more ruthless reputation than Amanda Waller. The government operative who assembles the Suicide Squad has been a fixture of the screen since 2016, and she has become one of the few figures to bridge the old DC Extended Universe and Gunn’s new continuity. For years, fans have wondered whether she would get her own show, and the latest update on the Amanda Waller Viola Davis series offers a mixed but hopeful answer.

The comments came from ‘The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? — The Official Podcast’, where James Gunn joined Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee to work out how much of the 2021 film counts in the DCU. The episode premieres on October 30 but surfaced early on Spotify.

According to the podcast, Gunn said that Davis would like to continue playing Waller. He explained that the team had been strongly developing a ‘Waller’ show that was never greenlit because it didn’t get to where they wanted it to be. He added that this doesn’t mean the project is totally out of development.

That is a carefully worded update. It confirms that the series hasn’t been cancelled, while making clear that it isn’t moving forward at the moment. Gunn has also said elsewhere that he has plans for the character if Davis wants to keep going.

The series was first reported in May 2022, with Christal Henry (‘Watchmen’) set to write and executive produce, and Davis attached to star. ‘Doom Patrol’ creator Jeremy Carver later joined Henry as a co-writer, and the show was set for HBO Max. It was announced as part of the DCU’s ‘Gods and Monsters’ slate and was meant to follow the events of ‘Peacemaker’.

Production was delayed by the 2023 strikes, and ‘Peacemaker’ season 2 was prioritized instead. In February 2025, DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran said the team had taken a couple of cracks at it without managing to land the right version, calling the process a bumpy road. Gunn said later that year that the show hadn’t been the fastest and that DC Studios won’t start production unless a script is finished.

The latest reports suggest the series has cooled. In August 2026, TheWrap reported that it was no longer in primary development as the studio focused on other projects, and other outlets have said it is no longer in active development. No production schedule or release date has been announced.

Gunn’s comments are the most direct response yet to those reports. They don’t put the show back on a timetable, but they push back on the idea that it is dead.

Even without a series, the character is secure. Davis’ Waller remains part of the DCU, alongside King Shark and Weasel, and her appearance in ‘Creature Commandos’ helped confirm that elements of ‘The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Peacemaker’ count in the new continuity. In that series, Waller and Rick Flag Sr. discuss the death of Rick Flag Jr. and her daughter’s testimony against her.

Davis first played Waller in the 2016 ‘Suicide Squad’, continued in ‘The Suicide Squad’, and appeared in ‘Peacemaker’. That history makes her one of the most consistent faces in the broader DC universe, and Gunn clearly values that continuity.

The podcast covered a lot of ground. Gunn declared ‘The Suicide Squad’ canon, calling it the first canon film in the DCU, and he said he’d like to see Idris Elba return as Bloodsport or even as another character. He also addressed Harley Quinn, saying he’d use her almost certainly, and revealed that a Polka-Dot Man series has been discussed.

Taken together, the comments show a studio that is looking for ways to use the characters it likes without committing to specific projects. ‘Waller’ fits that pattern, since it remains an idea waiting for the right story.

For now, fans shouldn’t expect a quick announcement. ‘Peacemaker’ wrapped its second season in October 2025, and Gunn has said there are no plans for a third. That leaves the Task Force X corner of the DCU quieter than it has been in years.

Still, the door is open. If the team can crack the right story, Davis seems ready to walk back through it.

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