The DC Extended Universe is looking to bounce back in 2021 after quite mixed reactions to Wonder Woman 1984 from both critics and fans alike. After director Zack Snyder brings his vision of Justice League to life with the Snyder Cut in March, this endeavor will continue with director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad in August.
Hype is building to such high levels for The Suicide Squad that it's already birthed a spin-off show for HBO Max in the John Cena-led Peacemaker series. Gunn is already hard at work on this new series, and has enlisted the talents of some major Hollywood stars to fill the supporting roles alongside the legendary wrestler-turned-action-star.
The show recently began filming in Canada, but many details about the plot and cast are still a mystery. Now some new questions are coming thanks to a recent casting announcement for the series.
TWO SUPPORTING ROLES ANNOUNCED FOR HBO MAX'S PEACEMAKER
Deadline is exclusively reporting that Elizabeth Faith Ludlow and Rizwan Manji have been cast for Peacemaker in supporting roles as Keeya and Jamil. Descriptions for either character has yet to be released.
Director James Gunn added onto this announcement in a tweet welcoming both of the new stars to the show's cast. Gunn's tweet also included a picture of himself with Ludlow from the set of 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, in which she played an alien extra.
Welcome @ElizabethLudlow & @Riz_Manji! I've been working with these 2 this week & they've been killing it. FUN FACT: Elizabeth was in GOTG Vol 2 but she was an alien so I didn't recognize her when she auditioned - I didn't know we had worked together until I cast her a 2nd time! https://t.co/TVMRf2ut8V pic.twitter.com/rseKDEnDp0
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 1, 2021
LUDLEY AND MANJI JOIN A STACKED CAST
It's unclear what roles the two new cast members will be playing alongside starring actor John Cena, but both should make for excellent additions to the DCEU's first show on HBO Max.
Ludlow is best known for her recurring role as Arat on AMC's The Walking Dead as well as for her supporting role in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Manji's resume includes small roles in memorable pop culture movies like 2012's The Dictator and 2007's Transformers, but this series should be the home of the most prominent roles yet for both new stars.
The two actors join an elite team of co-stars including Robert Patrick and Chris Conrad, as well as Jennifer Holland who is reprising her role from 2016's Suicide Squad.
While it's unlikely that any plot details will be revealed before the release of The Suicide Squad, this series will hopefully kickstart a new era for the DCEU with long-form storytelling behind Cena as the leading man.
Peacemaker is currently filming and is set to release on HBO Max sometime in 2022. This will follow the release of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021.
