The Suicide Squad has grown in numbers as its upcoming spin-off series Peacemaker announced several new additions to the cast on Wednesday. The HBO Max series is created and written by James Gunn (The Guardians of the Galaxy) and has added Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) to the show along with three other actors according to Entertainment Weekly. 

Peacemaker will be a spin-off series based upon the upcoming movie The Suicide Squad written and directed by Gunn. The movie is a sequel and reboot of sorts after the 2016 Suicide Squad starring Will Smith (Bad Boys for Life) and Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) received negative reactions from critics and fans alike. The film is set to release in August 2021 and will feature new characters including John Cena (Trainwreck) as the titular role Peacemaker. 

It’s now been announced that Brooks will be starring opposite of him portraying the character Leota Adebayo. Gunn shared the news on Twitter, expressing his excitement of getting to work with the actress on the upcoming series. See his tweet full below: 

So stoked to be working with @thedanieb, an actress I’ve admired for a long time, and can’t wait for all of you to meet her character in #Peacemaker. https://t.co/U4bewLTnlj

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 11, 2020

Three other new additions to the cast have been announced as well, including Robert Patrick (True Blood) in the role of Auggie Smith, Chris Conrad (Patriot) as Vigilante, and Jennifer Holland (The Suicide Squad) as Emilia Harcourt. This will be a reprise of Holland’s Emilia, as she will also be featured in the upcoming movie.  

Gunn is writing all eight episodes of the upcoming series and he will also direct a few episodes. While working on Peacemaker, he’s also currently writing the highly anticipated third film in The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Production on the show is expected to begin sometime in 2021.