James Gunn Has Hilarious Reaction To HBO Max Rebranding

Summary

Peacemaker Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on August 21, directed by James Gunn.
Gunn promotes the Peacemaker Season 2 amid Max reverting to its previous name, HBO Max.
Fans anticipate Peacemaker Season 2 for its humor, action, and chemistry among the ensemble cast.

Peacemaker will be returning for its second season in three months. James Gunn, who has been involved in the project, promotes it in a new video.

Gunn, the co-Chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, created the Peacemaker TV series as a spinoff from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. He was very much involved in the project, serving as a writer and director of the show. He wrote eight episodes and directed five. He also served as executive producer alongside Peter Safran and John Cena. The first season received critical acclaim with 94% approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Gunn returned as a writer and director for Peacemaker Season 2 and promoted it while reacting to HBO Max's rebranding.

'You're A Superhero Now' Peacemaker Season 2 Premiere Date Revealed

James Gunn revealed when Peacemaker Season 2 would premiere.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Warner Bros. Discovery appeared to have changed its mind about HBO's brand equity. HBO is a premium cable network

launched in 1972 and known for hit shows like Sex and the City, Game of Thrones and Euphoria. It has its own streaming apps for years — HBO GO for cable subscribers and HBO Now, a standalone subscription service. In 2020, WarnerMedia launched HBO Max as its streaming platform, replacing HBO GO and HBO NOW. In May 2023, it dropped HBO and rebranded to Max. However, after two years, on May 14, 2025, the company decided to make a U-turn by officially renaming Max to HBO Max again. Gunn is aware of the changes, especially because his TV series, Peacemaker, streams on the platform. In a video uploaded on Max's official account on X, formerly Twitter, Gunn promotes Peacemaker Season 2, while poking fun at HBO Max's rebranding. He said:

Hey, I'm James Gunn! Be sure to watch Season 2 of Peacemaker streaming this Thursday 9PM Eastern on HBO Max. God, we're calling it HBO Max — what? We're calling it HBO Max again?

The video adds a disclaimer that Peacemaker Season 2 will premiere on August 21. Meanwhile, a voice offscreen answered Gunn's question, saying "tomorrow." He added that the move was "good actually." On the other hand, Cena, who plays the titular role, also has a separate video to promote Peacemaker Season 2 on the same account. In the clip, he is talking to someone off-screen, telling the person that Max is rebranding to HBO Max the following day, so he wants to change the mention of Max in his spiel. "So, I should correct and say HBO Max instead of Max in all these reads?" Someone asked him if that was what the upfront was about. "Tomorrow, we are HBO Max," the Jackpot! Star added.

Peacemaker is known for its irreverent humor and intense action scenes. Gunn also effectively balances it by adding character-driven drama, including childhood trauma and toxic masculinity. In April, new footage for the anticipated season was released and it visibly maintains the first season's element of chaos, fun, and moral ambiguity in heroism. In the brief promo, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brook) can be heard telling someone, presumably Cena's Peacemaker, that he was a "superhero now."

Fans are already excited about Season 2 and among the things they want to witness is the ensemble cast and their chemistry. Cena's versatility was evident as he successfully balanced comedy, action and emotional vulnerability; Brooks' Leota brought warmth and humanity in the series; Freddie Stroma's Vigilante stood out due to his unhinged charm; and the rest, including Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, delivered memorable performances. Their banter, tension, and evolving friendships only solidify their team dynamics. The group is refreshing and pleasant to watch, so fans can't wait to see them again.