As we approach the end of 2024, it’s time to look ahead at what’s coming next year. And for HBO and Max, there’s quite a bit of noteworthy series arriving. As seen in the new sizzle reel of 2025 series, it looks like there’s quite a bit to be excited about coming to HBO and Max. 

READ MORE: Walton Goggins Celebrates ‘Fallout’ & Says ‘White Lotus’ Season 3 Is “A Seismic Consciousness Shift”

As for the biggest series in the sizzle reel, we’ve got fresh looks at “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “The White Lotus” Season 3, “Peacemaker” Season 2, and “The Last of Us” Season 2.

Continue reading Max 2025 Sizzle Reel: Here’s New Looks At ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Peacemaker’ & ‘A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ at The Playlist.

James Gunn’s DC Studios universe is coming together. And while the previous DC Universe has been disregarded from canon, some elements of his “The Suicide Squad” film will remain. Frank Grillo, who plays Rick Flag Sr., the father of Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag in the aforementioned ‘Suicide Squad’ film, recently revealed he would have a role in Gunn’s upcoming “Superman” movie starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.

Continue reading Joel Kinnaman Says It Would Be “Ridiculous” To Appear In ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2, “It’s Not What I Do” at The Playlist.

Recently, it was revealed that two actors were added to the ensemble cast of DC Studios’ “Peacemaker” Season 2. It appears that they’re getting closer to production because we have yet another name joining John Cena and Co. in the cast.

READ MORE: ‘Peacemaker’: David Denman & Sol Rodríguez Join Season 2 Of James Gunn’s Superhero Series

According to Deadline, ‘SNL’ alum Tim Meadows has joined the cast of “Peacemaker” Season 2.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: Tim Meadows Is Joining The Cast & Greg Mottola Is Directing Episodes Of James Gunn’s Series at The Playlist.

While we still don’t know how a Season 2 of “Peacemaker” exists in the newly rebooted DCU, we know it’s happening. James Gunn says it’ll make sense. Regardless, we now know a couple of new names who are joining the cast.

READ MORE: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: Lady Gaga Says Her Version Of Harley Quinn Is “Very Authentic To This Movie”

According to The Wrap, David Denman and Sol Rodríguez have joined the cast of “Peacemaker” Season 2, which is expected to once again be spearheaded by James Gunn.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: David Denman & Sol Rodríguez Join Season 2 Of James Gunn’s Superhero Series at The Playlist.

James Gunn’s series “Peacemaker,” starring John Cena, will be one of the rare DC properties that will carry over into the newly rebooted and reset DC Universe. While Gunn’s new DC Studios basically scrapped much of the past DCEU (Gal Gadot as “Wonder Woman,” etc.,) a new casting announcement for the second “Peacemaker” season is highlighting some of the connective tissue he intends to bring to the new DC.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: Frank Grillo To Reprise His Animated ‘Creature Commandos’ Role In Live-Action Season 2 at The Playlist.

By now, we know John Cena’s “Peacemaker” series is one of the few former DCEU projects going forward under James Gunn’s newly revamped DC Studios. Nearly all other relics of this era, Henry Cavill as Superman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman, are essentially canceled and very likely to be eventually rebooted. However, Gunn, the creator/writer/producer of “The Peacemaker” series, has recently revealed that the first season won’t be considered part of DCU canon.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: James Gunn Says Season 1 Won’t Be Canon, But Upcoming Season Will Fold Into New DCU at The Playlist.

Yesterday, Margot Robbie made headlines when she was interviewed by Variety and was asked whether she would reprise her iconic role as DC anti-hero Harley Quinn in the upcoming DC Studios plan, given DC is mostly rebooting and reimagining their film universe. And frankly, her answer was pretty evasive. “I always wanted Harley to be a character that would get passed on to other actresses to play, the way there are so many iconic male characters.

Continue reading James Gunn: “No Plans” For Anyone Else But Margot Robbie To Play Harley Quinn & ‘Peacemaker’ S2 Is Still On The Way at The Playlist.

At the end of last month, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn, and Peter Safran revealed their grand plans for the future of the DCEU. And there are many alluring titles in the first chapter of Gunn and Safran’s reset, entitled “Gods And Monsters.” Among them: Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot “Superman: Legacy,” “Booster Gold,” and “Waller,” a new series that focuses on Task Force X leader and all-around ice queen Amanda Waller, with Viola Davis to star.  

Continue reading James Gunn Confirms That ‘Peacemaker’ S2 Is Still Coming, But ‘Waller’ Comes First (And John Cena’s Character Returns For That) at The Playlist.

While yesterday’s DC Studios “Chapter 1” film and TV slate announcement did give a surprising amount of information about what the studio is working on moving forward, it didn’t answer all of the questions fans have. In fact, it didn’t answer some of the biggest questions, namely what’s going to happen to the A-listers who previously played some of these massive characters in previous films? Well, James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-CEOs of DC Studios, did answer some questions about that (via io9), but their answers might not give the clarity folks might be searching for. 

Continue reading DC Studios: James Gunn Says Ben Affleck’s Batman Is Out, Jason Momoa Won’t Play 2 Characters & Gal Gadot & Others Are Maybes at The Playlist.

Ever since Discovery bought and disrupted everything at Warner Bros earlier this year, one of their biggest mandates among many others—that included saving money and scrapping films like “Batgirl” and “The Wonder Twins”—was finding someone to be their equivalent of Marvel’s Kevin Feige; a creative exec who knows how to lead DC Films to similar success. And after a search that took them months and had many names in the mix, including producer Dan Lin, who came close to taking the job, the company has now found someone to lead DC.

Continue reading James Gunn & Peter Safran To Lead WB’s Newly Branded DC Studios at The Playlist.

Sick of the DC Universe and all its loose lips, sinking ships, and various PR disasters? Sorry, there’s more to come, but suffice to say, for the last few weeks, ever since the “Batgirl” was canceled, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for the company that’s seemingly in the press every day for one negative story after another. Either it’s something that their too-toxic-to-touch “The Flash” actor Ezra Miller did or got arrested for, or it’s some update on “Batgirl” that make the optics of canceling an Afro-Latinx-led project while continuing to support a film by an embattled white actor who has had the worst PR of 2022 look worse and worse.

Continue reading WB Reportedly Debating Whether To Bring Back Leslie Grace As ‘Batgirl,’ While Certain DC Projects Remain Question Marks at The Playlist.

Since his directorial debut with “Slither” over 15 years ago, James Gunn has almost always defied conventions and his fans have loved him for it. He took the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a decidedly new direction with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise and brought that same irreverence to “The Suicide Squad” last Summer. He followed that up with an episodic spin-off, “Peacemaker,” which was a massive success (at least according to HBO Max), and is currently hard at work writing the second season.

Continue reading James Gunn Challenges His Audience With ‘Peacemaker’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

From the beginning of his tenure at Warner Bros. and DC Films, James Gunn’s enthusiasm for the DC Universe has seemingly just kept feeding itself. Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” film led to the filmmaker creating a spinoff series, “Peacemaker” (our review), and that series starring John Cena seems like it will spin off even more stories.

Gunn is already working on a “Peacemaker” Season 2, but there’s more.

Continue reading James Gunn Says He’s Involved In Multiple DC Projects Plus A Spinoff Show That “Blends” Characters From ‘Peacemaker’ at The Playlist.

Following the success of HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” series earlier this year, creator/director James Gunn teased yet another “The Suicide Squad” spin-off series, saying it would “connected to this universe” but it “won’t be as much a comedy as ‘Peacemaker.’” Did we just learn what it is? Because Viola Davis will be reprising her role as The Suicide Squad boss Amanda Waller in an upcoming spin-off series centered on her character.

Continue reading Viola Davis To Star In An Amanda Wallace ‘Peacemaker’ Spin-Off Series At HBO Max at The Playlist.

Warning, the following story includes major spoilers for “Peacemaker” and its finale.

After eight episodes of television, writer/director James Gunn has proven DC Comics properties can be a cut above The CW counterparts that have dragged down the brand for years. Spun off from his “The Suicide Squad” movie, Gunn’s recently finished “Peacemaker” series on HBO Max is arguably the beginning of a new era for DC in TV, demonstrating that a foul-mouthed, muscle-headed buffoon like the Peacemaker character, Christopher Smith (John Cena), could be a character with heart and worth rooting for.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: Two Big Superhero Cameos Were Reportedly Scrapped From The Finale at The Playlist.

***Warning spoilers ahead for season one of “Peacemaker” and, most importantly, the big cameos in the show’s finale.***

“Peacemaker” became the first big DCEU television series launching on HBO Max as DC Films looks to branch out their live-action comic book universe on the streaming service with films like “Batgirl” and other shows brewing on the horizon.

The series is a direct spinoff of “The Suicide Squad,” with James Gunn writing and directing most of the episodes.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: James Gunn Explains How Those Surprise Finale Cameos Came About at The Playlist.

UPDATE: HBO Max has officially announced Season 2 of “Peacemaker,” so it is now confirmed. The original post follows…

As “Peacemaker” wraps up its first season on HBO Max, it seems like only a matter of time before we get official word about Season 2. James Gunn, even before the series began airing, hinted that he would like to do more episodes.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’ Renewed For Season 2 As HBO Max Executive Teases New James Gunn DC TV Show at The Playlist.

There’s no denying that “Peacemaker” is doing pretty well for HBO Max. And even before the series debuted earlier this month, it seemed as if the streaming service was already primed and ready to go with a Season 2 of the James Gunn-led superhero show. Well, while we’re still not 100% sure “Peacemaker” is going to get a Season 2 renewal, Gunn has already begun teasing another DC superhero show that he is currently working on.

Continue reading James Gunn Says His Next DC TV Series Will Be Connected to ‘The Suicide Squad’ & ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Is Almost Confirmed at The Playlist.

John Cena has seemingly fully embraced his first superhero role as Peacemaker in both “The Suicide Squad” and the just-released HBO Max series, “Peacemaker.” I mean, the guy shows up to interviews dressed as the character. It’s clear the actor is excited about finally getting a mainstream superhero role. And in a new interview with the Happy. Sad. Confused. podcast, that enthusiasm seems to stem from the fact that he’s been rejected for several big superhero roles over the years.

Continue reading John Cena Says He Was Rejected For Roles In ‘Shazam,’ ‘Deadpool’ & Several Marvel Films at The Playlist.

Last year, the world was introduced to James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad.” The film might not have had a huge box office, due to a variety of reasons, but fans and critics seemed to really enjoy what the filmmaker brought to the DCEU franchise. Now, not even six months later, he’s ready to keep it going with his first HBO Max series, “Peacemaker,” a spinoff of the aforementioned superhero film.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’: Has The James Gunn Formula Run Out Of Steam In His ‘Suicide Squad’ Spinoff? [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

James Gunn has been very upfront with wanting to continue work at Warner Bros. on more DC superhero projects. We’ve seen him jump immediately from “The Suicide Squad” to the “Peacemaker” HBO Max series (and he has talked about wanting to make more seasons). But apparently, he’s already working on what will be his next DC project.

According to an interview with Collider, James Gunn teased that he is already working on what will be his third project with WB/DC.

Continue reading James Gunn Teases A New DC TV Project After ‘Peacemaker’ at The Playlist.

HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” show from writer/director James Gunn is a classic case of miscalculation and perhaps becoming so enamored (and indulging) in a too much of a good thing equation you forget the overall math. Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad,” arguably the most creatively satisfying and best superhero movie of 2021, is a terrifically calibrated mix of Gunn’s current and old sensibilities: the gore, offensiveness, and vulgarity of his nascent Troma beginnings and the empathy-for-people wisdom he’s gained in his humbling post-Disney firing.

Continue reading ‘Peacemaker’ Review: The Amusing Douchebag Character From ‘Suicide Squad’ Is Just Obnoxious On His Own at The Playlist.

In terms of television, the new year already looks to be off to a strong start. From shows such as the much-talked-about “Yellowjackets” readying itself for its final two episodes of Season 1 to the long-awaited return of HBO’s “Euphoria,” there’s a little something for everyone being released in January. What may have in the past been a wasteland of a month for new releases, the shear amount of content this year means buzzier shows are getting the release in dead of winter.

Continue reading 8 TV Shows To Watch In January: ‘Euphoria,’ Peacemaker,’ ‘Ozark’ & More at The Playlist.

Director James Gunn is really running with the R-Rated side of the DCEU, despite the underwhelming showing of “The Suicide Squad” ($167.4 million worldwide, which seems low for a superhero movie even during COVID times, especially when comparing day and date PVOD comic book movies like “Black Widow” which did twice that figure). Taking the offensive, vulgar side of “The Suicide Squad” to its logical next conclusion, Gunn’s next project is the HBO Max spin-off series, “Peacemaker” starring John Cena, reprising his role from the aforementioned Task Force X film.

Continue reading Red-Band ‘Peacemaker’ Trailer: Give Peace A F*ckin’ Chance at The Playlist.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, though we do encourage you to read our intro and list of the Best TV Shows & Mini-Series of 2021, there is a lot of television out there and it’s only growing. And growing immensely. With the advent of the streaming age and then the super-charged streaming age of the last two/three years. In trying to catch up to Netflix, Disney+ launched November 2019, AppleTV+ and HBO Max weren’t far behind and now pretty much every company in movies and television has its own streaming network.

Continue reading The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022 at The Playlist.