Waller

In a highly anticipated announcement this week, co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn, confirmed the new slate of movies and television projects coming to the DC Universe. While most of these new entertainment choices won’t be seen by audiences until 2025, Gunn was quick to discuss some projects that have already been in the works for quite some time. One of these is the new television series Waller, which will bring back a fan-favorite character to the DC Universe.

Gunn became known in the comic book world for directing the successful Guardians of the Galaxy series of films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He moved to DC Studios recently after he helmed 2021’s The Suicide Squad starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, and Sylvester Stallone. Since then, Gunn and producer Peter Safran were tapped to become co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios.

With the new content coming soon from DC Studios, here is all we know about the upcoming series Waller.

WALLER IS A SUICIDE SQUAD SPIN-OFF STARRING VIOLA DAVIS

Acclaimed actor Viola Davis has played the menacing character Amanda Waller in several films for the DC Universe, closely associated with the Suicide Squad. She will assume main character energy by starring in Waller as part of the first chapter in DC’s attempt at a reset called “Gods and Monsters.” According to Deadline, Waller is a spin-off of the popular Suicide Squad series on HBO Max called Peacemaker, which stars former wrestler John Cena.

Waller had been in production even before James Gunn made his announcement to DC fans worldwide this week. Writer and executive producer Christal Henry, who won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on 2019’s Watchmen, will be writing on the new show. Joining her will be Doom Patrol creator Jeremy Carver, while Viola Davis will assume the position of executive producer.

Peacemaker has been a successful television series for HBO Max, coming at a time when Warner Bros. Discovery is making changes across the board that have affected many new projects.

John Cena co-executive produces Peacemaker and reprises his leading role as Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, from The Suicide Squad. After premiering on the streamer in January 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.

In his announcement this week, James Gunn confirmed that Peacemaker Season 2 would be delayed to make room for Waller and other projects. He noted that a priority of DC Studios at this time is the character of Superman and the proposed 2025 film release of Superman: Legacy.

However, Waller will treat itself as a continuation of the Peacemaker series for now, as Gunn focuses on multiple projects simultaneously.

THE AMANDA WALLER SERIES WILL BRING THE CHARACTER FRONT AND CENTER AND WILL HAVE PEACEMAKER CHARACTERS

No other casting decisions for Waller have been made public yet outside of Viola Davis returning to the main role of Amanda Waller. Davis appeared as the character in different iterations within the DC Universe in 2022, including Black Adam and a two-episode uncredited part in Peacemaker. TV Insider reports that Waller will include several Team Peacemaker members.

Amanda Waller is a political animal who works in a senior leadership role as the Director of ARGUS, a federal agency of the United States associated with Homeland Security. To establish a covert operations unit equipped to fight outside dangerous threats, Amanda Waller rallied together a team of metahumans called the Suicide Squad. These have included Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and Rick Flag.

Waller will serve as a launching vehicle for other Suicide Squad spin-offs within the DC Universe, and James Gunn confirmed that the series would be a central part of other content currently in the works. Chief among these is Creature Commandos, an animated series written by Gunn that will play out in seven episodes.

Viola Davis and other actors that join Waller will navigate acting in both live-action while voicing characters of animated content for the DC Universe.

THE DC UNIVERSE IS GETTING MORE ADULT-ORIENTED

As opposed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has appealed to broad audiences of families and children, the DC Universe is getting darker in its presentation of storylines from the famed DC Comics. None of the movies within the “Gods and Monsters” chapter have been announced with plans to carry an R rating, but Waller might hover around that territory.

As an example, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was rated R, primarily due to the violence, gore, and sexual references throughout the film. Peacemaker has been slapped with a TV-MA rating, so it should be expected that Waller will follow in its predecessors’ footsteps in that regard.

Given Amanda Waller’s penchant for securing monstrous prisoners to fight against more dangerous foes, a TV-MA rating for mature audiences might be appropriate for the upcoming Waller series.

THE WALLER SERIES WILL JOIN A BRAND NEW SLATE OF DC UNIVERSE TELEVISION SHOWS

James Gunn made his prophecy known to DC Universe fans this week by proclaiming that Warner Bros. Discovery is all in on new theatrical releases and television shows that will be available via streaming. While Waller will carry over some established characters from other projects, new superheroes and villains are on deck for audiences to enjoy.

Among these new projects will be Lanterns, which Gunn remarked as an “enormous TV event series” that will introduce at least two Green Lanterns to the rebooted DC Universe. These will be intergalactic police officers John Stewart and Hal Jordan, the latter of which was last seen on the big screen embodied by actor Ryan Reynolds in 2011’s Green Lantern.

Another upcoming project that will soon be in the works is Paradise Lost, a notable prequel to the events depicted in the Wonder Woman series of films. Paradise Lost will be set in the birthplace of Wonder Woman, Themyscira, home to the Amazons who raised her. The central premise of Paradise Lost will focus on the island of all women and the political maneuvers within, which Gunn compared to Game of Thrones in his announcement this week.

Besides Waller, Paradise Lost, Lanterns, and Creature Commandos is a new television show called Booster Gold. A fan-favorite character of DC Comics, Booster Gold centers on Mike Carter, a futuristic loser who arrives in the present day aiming to become a superhero to gain an ego boost. The character was created in 1986 and has evolved into a cult hero ever since.