Another series spinoff from James Gunn’s (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) The Suicide Squad universe may be coming to fruition. Deadline reports a series centered on Suicide Squad creator, villain Amanda Waller, is in the works at HBO Max. Viola Davis (Fences, The First Lady) who portrayed the DC Comics character in both film iterations is said to be reprising her role in the series.
In the comic lore, Waller is an experienced governmental head with influence and power making her a formidable antagonist for the heroes of the D.C. universe. An expert markswoman and strategist, she is the leader of A.R.G.U.S. and orchestrates the deadly missions her team of convict villains executes for the alleged greater good. In addition to appearing in both David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch) and Gunn’s respective movies, Davis also cameoed in Peacemaker as Waller in an attempt to sabotage John Cena’s (Blockers, Vacation Friends) antihero.
This news comes months after Gunn told Deadline he was preparing a second spinoff, adding to Peacemaker. The more comedic comics series premiered its first season in January and saw a 44% increase in viewership for its season finale, via Deadline. It remains the biggest single-day audience for an HBO Max original show.
While it remains early in development, Deadline reports Davis and Gunn will serve as executive producers along with Christal Henry (Watchmen, The Chicago Code) who will write the series. They are joined by Peter Safran (The Crooked Man, The Nun) while Warner Bros. TV will produce the show.
Academy Award winner Davis can currently be seen in Showtime’s historical drama series, The First Lady, in which she portrays First Lady Michelle Obama. Davis is also set to appear in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s (Love & Basketball, The Old Guard) highly-anticipated feature, The Woman King, alongside John Boyega (892, The Cloned Tyrone), Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad, Saints and Sinners), Shelia Atim (Bruised, The Pale Horse ) and Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die, Captain Marvel).