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One of The Suicide Squad‘s anti-heroes has a TV series of his own. John Cena reprises his role as Christopher “Peacemaker” Smith in Peacemaker, which debuts Thursday, Jan. 13 exclusively on HBO Max.
The DC show picks up where 2021’s The Suicide Squad left off, and follows Peacemaker seeking redemption through a secretive government project. The action-packed superhero show also stars Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Chukwudi Iwuji, Freddie Stroma and Robert Patrick. The eight-episode spinoff series is the first foray into writing and directing for small screen for filmmaker James Gunn, who also helmed 2021’s Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gunn recently told The Hollywood Reporter that a scene between Cena and Daniela Melchior (who played Ratcatcher in The Suicide Squad) as among the moments that inspired him to create Peacemaker.
“There’s a moment there where he is about to kill her and we see something in his eyes that is incredible sadness and regret,” Gunn explained. “I don’t even know if Peacemaker was going to kill her in that moment, but seeing John in that moment made me go, ‘There’s much more to this actor than I knew.’ We know he’s a great comedian; we saw him in Trainwreck, Blockers and Squad. But he is also an incredibly talented dramatic actor and I knew there was a vulnerability to John Cena that I would be able to help carve out and present to the world. So that was part of the driving force of telling this story, for sure.”
Peacemaker on HBO Max: Episode Release Dates
You can stream the first three episodes of Peacemaker starting Jan. 13 on HBO Max. New episodes run between 40 to 45 minutes and will be released every Thursday until the show’s series finale on Feb. 17.
How to Watch Peacemaker Online
Peacemaker is available to stream exclusively on HBO Max, so you’ll need a subscription to watch the series. If you’re a new or former subscriber to HBO Max, the streamer is offering 20 percent off plans for one year when you sign up by Jan. 25. Typically $10 per month for the ad-supported package and $15 monthly for the ad-free plan, the promotional rate will instead be $8 to $10 per month. Current customers are not eligible to get the deal.
An HBO Max subscription also lets you stream other popular movies and shows, including the Harry Potter reunion special, reboot series such as the Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That and Gossip Girl 2.0, Euphoria and more. The ad-free package also gets you access to Warner Bros. films on the same day as the theatrical release (such as when Matrix Resurrections arrived in theaters and online), watch select content in 4K HD quality and download content to watch offline later.
You can watch the show on any device that supports the HBO Max app, including on smart TVs, smartphones and tablets. For TVs that don’t support apps, you can use a plug-in device such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Google Chromecast or Roku to stream content from your HBO Max account to your screen. You can also watch on gaming consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation.
How to Watch HBO Max Online for Free
New Hulu customers can watch Peacemaker and more with the video-on-demand streamer’s free seven-day trial, which comes with HBO Max. After the first week, subscriptions roll into Hulu’s base plan that starts at $7 per month with the option to add HBO Max for a $15 monthly fee.
AT&T subscribers may also get access to HBO Max for free with select wireless, internet and TV plans, including AT&T Unlimited Elite, AT&T Fiber and DirecTV Stream Choice. Learn more here.