James Gunn Wrote a Season 1 PEACEMAKER Role for Lance Reddick

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Peacemaker’s story of “what ifs” has made for a really interesting second season. However, in another version of events, the entire HBO Max show could have looked quite different. Creator James Gunn recently shared that he initially wrote the role of Christopher Smith in The Suicide Squad for Dave Bautista. After the Guardians of the Galaxy star wasn’t available, he offered it to John Cena. Now, Gunn has revealed he originally wrote a key role in Peacemaker’s first season with another actor in mind. He created the character of Clemson Murn specifically for the late Lance Reddick.

In the latest episode of the Peacemaker podcast (as reported by /Film), James Gunn addressed a statement made by his friend and season two actor, Michael Rooker. Rooker had suggested that writers always picture a particular actor when creating a role, even if that actor doesn’t ultimately play it. Gunn disagreed, explaining that he originally wrote the part of the secret alien, Butterfly Clemson Murn, in season one for Lance Reddick. When Reddick was unavailable, Gunn cast Chukwudi Iwuji, who delivered a truly excellent performance. (Iwuji later appeared in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.)

Gunn stated that Iwuji completely excelled in the role, to the point that it altered Gunn’s original understanding of the character.

It was clear to any director why they’d want to work with Reddick. He also would have been a fantastic Murn. Though many fans remember the late, great actor for his cool, serious, and intense presence, Reddick was also very funny. He would have been a natural fit in the world of Peacemaker. You can almost imagine a parallel universe where he and Dave Bautista created an alternate, but equally amazing, version of the show. We love the version we have, but we wish Lance Reddick was still here to potentially join the show in a different capacity.

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2025-09-29 20:32