'Peacemaker' Cast: James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' Spin-Off Adds Robert Patrick, Danielle Brooks, And More

James Gunn's Peacemaker cast just got a little bigger.

The writer/director's forthcoming HBO Max series is a spin-off of his upcoming The Suicide Squad movie, which centers on the title character played by John Cena. Now, Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Jennifer Holland (Brightburn), and Chris Conrad (Patriot) have all been added to the cast. Learn more about their characters below.

We already knew that Cena and actor Steve Agee would be returning to play their The Suicide Squad characters – Peacemaker and John Economos, respectively – in this new show. But now we have a few details about these new additions.

Brooks, who was absolutely tremendous on Orange is the New Black as Taystee, will star as Leota Adebayo, and Patrick, who has built a career alternating between playing absolute shitheels and grimy heroes, will portray someone named Auggie Smith. As far as we can tell, neither of those characters have ever appeared in a DC Comics film, TV series, or comic book before, so their identities and how they will factor into the action of this spin-off remains a mystery for now.

Meanwhile, Holland, who has appeared on American Horror Story and Sun Records, will be reprising her role of Emilia Harcourt from The Suicide Squad film. You may recognize Chris Conrad from his role on Perpetual Grace, LTD., or, perhaps more likely, as the slick American actor/fighter Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He will play a character named Vigilante/Adrian Chase in this series, a former district attorney whose family is murdered and who dons a costume to punish criminals that the justice system let slip through the cracks.

Gunn is writing all eight episodes and directing multiple episodes of the show, and he's executive producing with Peter Safran (Aquaman). Official details about Peacemaker are still being kept under wraps, but we do know that the series will extend the universe that Gunn is creating in The Suicide Squad and that it will specifically "explore the origins of the character that Cena will play in the upcoming film, a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it."

The Suicide Squad is slated to arrive in theaters on August 6, 2021, and Peacemaker does not have a premiere date in place yet.