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Draft:Waller (TV series)

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Waller
Genre
Created byChristal Henry
Based onCharacters from DC
Showrunners
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Production companyDC Studios
Original release
NetworkMax
Related

Waller is an upcoming American television series based on DC Comics featuring the character Amanda Waller. Produced by DC Studios, it will be a television series in the DC Universe (DCU) and a spin-off from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film The Suicide Squad (2021) and series Peacemaker (2022–present). Waller continues the story of Amanda Waller and "Team Peacemaker". Christal Henry created the series and serves as showrunner with Jeremy Carver.

Viola Davis reprises her role as Amanda Waller from the DCEU franchise, including The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, starring alongside Steve Agee. Henry began work on the series by May 2022, before The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker writer/director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran became co-CEOs of DC Studios that October. They confirmed in January 2023 that the series would continue as part of the new DCU, by which time Carver had joined the project.

Waller will be released on the streaming service Max. It will be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

Cast and characters

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Additionally, Danielle Brooks is expected to reprise her role as Waller's daughter Leota Adebayo from Peacemaker (2022-present).[3][third-party source needed]

Production

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Background

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James Gunn was hired in October 2018 to write and direct The Suicide Squad (2021),[4][5] a standalone sequel to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Suicide Squad (2016) which retained some cast members but otherwise told its own story.[6] He worked with producer Peter Safran, who also produced the DCEU films Aquaman (2018) and Shazam! (2019).[7] They later expanded The Suicide Squad into a spin-off television series, Peacemaker (2022–present), for the streaming service HBO Max.[8] Discovery Inc. and Warner Bros.' parent company WarnerMedia merged in April 2022 to become Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), led by president and CEO David Zaslav. The new company was expected to restructure DC Entertainment and Zaslav began searching for an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead the new subsidiary.[9] Gunn and Safran were announced as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios at the end of October 2022.[10] A week after starting their new roles, the pair had begun working with a group of writers to develop an eight-to-ten-year plan for a new DC Universe (DCU) that would be a "soft reboot" of the DCEU.[11][12][13] Gunn and Safran said some cast members would return from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker in the DCU, and a "rough memory" of those events would remain.[14]

Development

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In January 2021, before the release of The Suicide Squad, Gunn said he had ideas for more television spin-off series beyond the then-in-development Peacemaker,[15] and DC Films president Walter Hamada said a month later that they had plans for more projects with Gunn.[16] In May 2022, a series for HBO Max was revealed to be in development featuring the character Amanda Waller, with Christal Henry writing and serving as executive producer alongside Gunn and Safran.[1] On January 31, Gunn and Safran unveiled the first projects from their DCU slate, which begins with Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. The second project in the slate was Waller, which Gunn said would be a continuation of Peacemaker because that series' second season was delayed while Gunn focused on the rest of the DCU slate. Henry was revealed to be one of the writers working on the overall story for the DCU, and was set as co-showrunner of Waller alongside Jeremy Carver. The series was expected to be released as an "aperitif" for the DCU before the film Superman, which was scheduled for release on July 11, 2025.[17] Chris Provenzano joined as a producer by February 2024.[18][3] The next month, Gunn revealed that the series had been delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes and would now be released after Superman and the second season of Peacemaker. Henry and Carver were still writing the series at that time.[19]

Writing

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The series was initially expected to build off Waller's appearance in the first-season finale of Peacemaker, in which her work as the director of A.R.G.U.S. running the Task Force X (Suicide Squad) program was made public by her daughter Leota Adebayo.[1] It centers on Waller's relationship with Adebayo,[3][third-party source needed] and features members of "Team Peacemaker" returning alongside Waller.[17]

Casting

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By May 2022, when it was revealed that the series would feature Amanda Waller, Viola Davis was in negotiations to executive produce the series and reprise her role as Waller from the DCEU franchise, including Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker;[1] Davis produces through her production company JuVee Productions.[3][third-party source needed] When announcing the DCU slate, Gunn confirmed that Davis would continue to portray Waller in the DCU, including in Waller.[14] Gunn revealed in April 2023 that Steve Agee would reprise his role as John Economos from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker in the series.[2] Danielle Brooks was reported to be reprising her role as Leota Adebyo from Peacemaker in February 2024.[3][third-party source needed]

Release

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Waller is scheduled to be released on the streaming service Max. It was originally set to be released in 2024 as an "apperitif" before the film Superman,[20] but was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.[19] It will be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Otterson, Joe (May 3, 2022). "Viola Davis in Talks to Star as Amanda Waller in Peacemaker Spinoff Series at HBO Max". Variety. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Duthie, Alex (April 24, 2023). "Peacemaker's Steve Agee Joins Waller Cast, James Gunn Announces News". Covered Geekly. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Production Weekly – Issue 1389 – Thursday, February 15, 2024 / 208 Listings – 45 Pages". Production Weekly. No. 1389. February 14, 2024. p. 43. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 9, 2018). "James Gunn Boards Suicide Squad 2 To Write And Possibly Direct". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  5. ^ Couch, Aaron; McClintock, Pamela (January 30, 2019). "The Batman, The Suicide Squad Set 2021 Release Dates". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  6. ^ Davis, Brandon (July 6, 2021). "The Suicide Squad Producer Rules Out Connections To Previous Film". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (July 6, 2021). "The Suicide Squad Producer Explains How the Film Connects to Suicide Squad: 'We Don't Address It'". Collider. Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  8. ^ White, Peter (September 23, 2020). "The Suicide Squad TV Spinoff 'Peacemaker' Starring John Cena From James Gunn Ordered By HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Lang, Brent; Donnelly, Matt (April 14, 2022). "Warner Bros. Discovery Exploring Overhaul of DC Entertainment (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (October 25, 2022). "DC Shocker: James Gunn, Peter Safran to Lead Film, TV and Animation Division (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Couch, Aaron (November 10, 2022). "James Gunn, Peter Safran Are Mapping Out 'Eight- to 10-Year Plan' for DC". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (October 25, 2022). "Warner Bros. Confirms 'DC Universe' As Official Name of DCEU". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  13. ^ Newby, Richard (February 3, 2023). "6 Burning Questions About DC Studios' New Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Lussier, Germain (January 31, 2023). "James Gunn DC Slate Q&A: Flash, Aquaman, Crossover, More". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Perine, Aaron (January 31, 2021). "The Suicide Squad Director James Gunn Has More Spinoff Ideas Beyond Peacemaker". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  16. ^ Couch, Aaron (August 4, 2021). "Margot Robbie and The Suicide Squad Team Reflect on Script 'No One Could Pull' Off But James Gunn". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c Vary, Adam B. (January 31, 2023). "New DC Universe Unveils First 10 Projects: Superman: Legacy in 2025, Batman & Robin Movie, Green Lantern Series, Wonder Woman Prequel and More". Variety. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  18. ^ Rocha, John; Sneider, Jeff (February 16, 2024). Fantastic 4 Casting Backlash, Will Galactus Be Next? Superman Legacy Drama – The Hot Mic. Event occurs at 1:34:30. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ a b Drum, Nicole (March 10, 2024). "DC Chief James Gunn Promises Waller Is Still Happening". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Vary, Adam B. (April 12, 2023). "DC's Creature Commandos Unveils Voice Cast: David Harbour, Indira Varma, Alan Tudyk and More". Variety. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
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