Viola Davis To Star In 'Peacemaker' Spinoff With Character, Amanda Waller
By Favour Adegoke on May 7, 2022 at 5:00 PM EDT
Viola Davis is ready to reprise her role as Amanda Waller in a new DC spin-off series. Her appearance in the spinoff will be the "Fences" actress' latest TV appearance.
The four-time Oscar nominee is currently the lead role in the limited series, "The First Lady." She made a number of cameo appearances in the "Suicide Squad" spinoff, "Peacemaker," but only recently started making plans for a show based on her own character.
Amanda's daughter, Leota Adebayo, is a key character in the spin-off series. James Gunn's "Peacemaker" was renewed for a second season in February, with the director set to write and also direct all episodes of the show.
Viola Davis To Have Her Own Spin-Off Series
According to TheWrap Davis' Amanda is the next DC character to get her own spinoff series. Most of the details are under wraps; however, sources revealed that the series will be built off her appearance towards the end of John Cena's "Peacemaker."
Amanda's character was described as "a former congressional aide and government agent who is often placed in charge of the Suicide Squad, a semi-secret government-run group of former super villains working in return for amnesty."
The show will be written by Christal Henry, who will also be part of the series's executive producers. Henry's other works include the limited hit series, "Watchmen." There, the executive producer wrote the episode, "If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own." Other executive producers include Davis, James Gunn, and Peter Safran.
Amanda Waller's Daughter Is In 'Peacemaker'
Amanda, Davis's character, made brief cameo appearances in Gunn's "Peacemaker." The actress reportedly showed herself in the first and final episode of the "Suicide Squad" spinoff. The season finale saw Amanda's daughter and spy, Leota Adebayo, played by Danielle Brooks, reveal her mother's dealing with Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad.
In the "Peacemaker" spinoff, Leota gets assigned to the team tasked to work on Project Butterfly. Her character is entirely new in the extended DC universe and doesn't have any particular origin in the comics.
Despite the many iterations of Amanda's backstory, none made any mention of a daughter, much less one who was in a similar profession as she was. One version listed her backstory as a tragedy involving her murdered husband and children. Another mentioned that Amanda had a daughter; however, she has the ability to turn into an insect-like creature. A trait that Leota noticeably doesn't possess.
Viola Davis Said She Was 'Fascinated' By Amanda
In a previous interview with Nerd Report, Davis revealed that she was "fascinated" by her DC character, Amanda. She revealed that she was really interested in the character because she is a "big powerful black woman" who was ready to "ready to pick a gun and shoot anyone at will."
She said, "I'm fascinated by her. I'm fascinated by her in this world of superhero-ness because she is not a woman that you would expect. I think that she is a massive contradiction. She's this big powerful black woman, hard, ready to pick up a gun and shoot anyone at will. I'm fascinated in exploring her psychology, just put it that way. And I'm excited to pick up a gun."
'Peacemaker' Was Renewed For A Second Season
"Peacemaker" saw the continuation of Gunn's telling of the 2021 "The Suicide Squad." The DC film was Gunn's R-rated spin on the different DC characters. The director was in charge of writing and directing the series to a large extent.
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The story saw Cena's character, Peacemaker, as a part of the A.R.G.U.S group. The first episode was released on January 13, and by the final episode of season one, the viewership had increased to around 44%. The social media buzz, as well as social conversations concerning the series, increased to about 35% past the season premiere.
The eight-episode show was renewed for a second season in February. Gunn will reportedly be in charge of writing the episodes. He will also direct all the episodes of season two. However, the fans of the show will likely have to wait a while for "Peacemaker" season two because Gunn is currently producing "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
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