Published: Sep 11, 2025 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: Sep 11, 2025 by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE
John Cena wasn’t the first choice for a DC Studios role that he has had since 2021, with a fellow WWE veteran initially being courted.
Since The Suicide Squad in 2021, John Cena has been Peacemaker, the ruthless killer who wants to achieve peace no matter the cost.
With the second season of the character’s HBO Max series currently airing, James Gunn has revealed that Cena wasn’t the first choice for the role.
Speaking on The Howard Stern Show, Gunn opened up about wanting to cast Batista as the character, saying:
“It was Dave Bautista. He’s a good friend of mine, obviously he plays Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.
“I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him, and we offered him the role, but he was offered two movies, and we weren’t paying him a lot, so he had to go where the money was.”
If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.
As for how John Cena ended up on Gunn’s radar, it was the 2015 Judd Apatow-directed comedy Trainwreck that caught his attention, with the DC Studios executive explaining:
“I had always been a fan of John since Trainwreck especially, I thought he was so, so funny in that movie. I met with him, we talked, we became instant, instant friends.
“Since then, I’ve worked with him more than any other actor because I’ve done two seasons of Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad, and we are going to be doing more together.
“He is a fantastic guy, a fantastic actor, and really, I think I love the Peacemaker show more than anything else I’ve ever done.”
If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.
Cena is currently in the final months of his retirement year, with his final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event taking place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC this December.
If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
Most Recent
- AEW Star Leaves, Joins WWE
- Bloodline Six-Man Tag Match Added To WWE SummerSlam 2026
- WWE Championship Match Canceled Due To Injury
- Big E Details The New Day’s Initial WWE Heel Turn, Praises AEW Star’s Role
- WWE Name Says ‘Hyper Masculine Environment’ Of WWE Developmental Led To Them Not Speaking About Mental Health Issues
- WWE Shares CM Punk’ Comments Immediately Following Undisputed WWE Championship Victory
- ‘People Are Gonna Lose Their S**t’ – Former WWE Star Thinks AEW Should Sign Sheamus ‘Immediately’
- AEW Star Teases Special Entrance For ‘Further Down The Line’
- CM Punk Recalls Vince McMahon Backstage Reaction To WWE Pipebomb Promo, Lying About What He Was Going To Say
- WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2026 Date & Location Confirmed
mailing list