James Gunn Has Finished the Next “Superman Saga” Treatment, “Peacemaker” Season 2 Key to DCU
James Gunn is flying high.
After the rapturous opening few weeks for the writer/director/studio chief’s Superman, which officially kicked off the feature film portion of his new DCU, the DC Studios co-chief was in New York for the second season premiere of Peacemaker alongside star John Cena.
Before we get to what Gunn and Cena had to say about how the second season of Peacemaker connects to the broader DCU, first, let’s touch upon Gunn’s update on his Superman world that he’s building out. “I’ve already finished the treatment for the next story in what I’ll call the Superman Saga,” Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter at the Peacemaker season two premiere. “The treatment is done, which means a very, very worked-out treatment. I’m working on that and hopefully going into production on that not too far away from today.”
That would be a quick turnaround, considering Superman is still in theaters. This means that for the new legion of fans of David Corenswet’s Man of Steel, and the world of metahumans and villains Gunn built out for Superman, the sequel would arrive sooner than expected.
As for Peacemaker, Gunn and Cena were on hand in the Big Apple alongside Gunn’s DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran. “I don’t think there’s anything I’ve ever done that I love more than this season,” Gunn told THR about Peacemaker season two. And for this season for Cena’s beefy, conflicted antihero Christopher Smith, the stakes are raised as his fate becomes intertwined with the larger unified DC universe that Gunn and Safran are building out.
“It’s a big part, definitely Superman leads directly into Peacemaker; it should be noted that this is for adults, not for children, but Superman leads into this show and then we have the setting up of all of the rest of the DCU in this season of Peacemaker, it’s incredibly important,” Gunn told THR on the carpet. “Lots of guest stars coming up, lots of characters that are showing up that we’ve already met in Superman. I don’t think there’s anything that I’ve ever done that I love more than this season of Peacemaker, so I’m so excited for people to see it.”
In case you missed it, Cena’s Peacemaker appears in a post-credits scene in Superman, appearing on a talk show to critique the Man of Steel. Now, Cena said, Peacemaker season two will fully lean into Gunn and Safran’s vision for a fully interconnected DCU. “Instead of standalone properties, all of the DCU is now connected, as you saw Peacemaker show up in Superman,” Cena said on the red carpet. “I think what you see in season two is just a forward of that narrative. That whole DCU through line—it takes the 11th Street Kids through their next adventure, but it also has a lot to do with the DCU going forward.”
Cena is joined in Peacemaker by Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Frank Grillo.
Season two starts streaming on Aug. 21 on HBO Max.
For more on all things Superman, check out these stories:
“Superman” Composer John Murphy on Electrifying John Williams’ Iconic Score
Crystal Vision: How “Superman” Production Designer Beth Mickle Built the Fortress of Solitude
Featured image: James Gunn, John Cena at the HBO Max Original Series “Peacemaker” Premiere held at AMC Lincoln Square on August 13, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)
