James Gunn reveals that Peacemaker was written for Dave Bautista

James Gunn has revealed an unexpected secret about his successful series Peacemaker: the leading role was not originally intended for John Cena, but for another former WWE wrestler, Dave Bautista (Batista). The director acknowledged that the first choice was the actor who played Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, although fate had other plans.

"I wrote the character for Dave, we offered him the role, but he had two movies on the table and we couldn't pay him what they were offering. He had to go with the most profitable option," Gunn confessed in an interview with The Howard Stern Show.

Bautista's refusal opened the door to a move that, over time, turned out to be pure gold: John Cena's entry into the DC universe. Gunn explained that he noticed him after his comedic role in Trainwreck, and the rest is history. "I've always been a fan of John since Trainwreck. I found him hilarious. When we met, we instantly connected," he recalled.

From there, one of Gunn's most fruitful partnerships was born. Cena made his debut as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad (2021), starred in two seasons of his own series on HBO Max, and already has future projects in the works under the filmmaker's direction. "I think I love the Peacemaker series more than anything else I've done," Gunn even stated.

The result speaks for itself: Cena has turned Peacemaker into a cult icon, a patriotic antihero loaded with dark humor, excessive violence, and a complexity that has surprised even the most skeptical critics. What started as a role intended for Bautista ended up being the role that established John Cena as an actor within the superhero universe.