Summary:
- John Cena was not originally supposed to play DCU’s Peacemaker.
- James Gunn had written the part for Dave Bautista, while filming The Suicide Squad.
- Here’s what Bautista and Gunn had to say about the missed Peacemaker opportunity.
One of James Gunn’s first DC projects was Peacemaker. While John Cena seems to have embodied the character of Peacemaker perfectly, the wrestler-turned-actor wasn’t Gunn’s first choice. The director originally wanted Dave Bautista to play Peacemaker instead of Cena. While the two would’ve brought very different energy to the role, both seem to have one trait in common: invisibility.
James Gunn’s Thoughts on Why Bautista Turned Down the Role
James Gunn appeared on The Howard Stern Show. Stern admitted he couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Peacemaker, while asking who Gunn’s first choice was to play Peacemaker. And this is what James Gunn had to say:
It was Dave Bautista. He’s a good friend of mine. I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him, and we offered him the role, but it was offered two movies, and we weren’t paying him a lot, so he had to go where the money was.
Gunn explained that while Dave Bautista as Peacemaker was his original choice, it didn’t stop him from considering John Cena.
I’ve always been a fan of John [Cena] since Trainwreck especially, I thought he was so so funny in that movie. I met with him, we talked, we became instant, instant friends, and since then, you know, I’ve worked with him more than any other actor because I’ve done two seasons of Peacemaker, Suicide Squad, and you know we’re going to be doing more together.
Why Dave Bautista Turned Down the Role
While Dave Bautista turned down the role, he really wanted to play Peacemaker. In a conversation with ComicBook, Dave Bautista revealed that it was a “scheduling thing” that led to his decision. When Gunn offered Bautista the role, he was shooting Army of the Dead, so he couldn’t commit to this DCU role. Here’s his full quote:
I have to say, that one. I really wanted to do that part. He (Gunn) wrote that part for me, and it was meant for me, and it just became a scheduling thing where I just couldn’t do it, because I was doing Army of the Dead. And so it was a scheduling issue that we just could not figure out.
That said, Bautista echoed fans’ sentiments, admitting he couldn’t picture anyone else in the role. He even called the missed opportunity a “blessing in disguise.” There’s no way that I would have been able to do that role like John.” Bautista stated, “He’s just perfect for it, you know, and I wouldn’t have done it justice, and it wouldn’t have been as successful.”
