Hours after reports that WWE Superstar and rising actor John Cena is currently in talks for a role in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, a new report may have revealed who exactly the former Doctor of Thuganomics will portray in the upcoming film.According to Variety entertainment reporter Justin Kroll, Cena is rumored to be under consideration to play Peacemaker in the DC Extended Universe film. The actor would potentially be replacing fellow former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista, who allegedly had to pass on the role due to his busy schedule.
Created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette and debuting in 1966's Fighting' 5 #40, the Charlton Comics superhero's alias is Christopher Smith, a diplomat so committed to global peace that he takes on the superhero alter ego to ensure it by force using non-lethal weapons and combat techniques. After DC Comics acquired Charlton in the 1980s, the character appeared in the DC Universe sporadically, while also serving as the basis for The Comedian in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen.
Reports had surfaced that Cena was negotiating for a part in Gunn's film, with speculation mounting that he could portray Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man or Peacemaker. However, if the rumors are true, Cena will play a pacifist so hardcore that he will regularly employ violence himself.
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad is set to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.