It must be that time of year. Hollywood is focusing on sequels. HBO Max has announced Peacemaker, a spinoff series tothe not-yet-released The Suicide Squad. The CW has announced a spin-off to its popular Black Lightning series focusing on Khalil Payne, aka Painkiller. and the Warner Brothers will be doing Constantine II, a sequel to Constantine.
Peacemaker
Peacemaker is an eight episode mini-series for HBO Max, and will star Danielle Brook, Robert Patrick, and Jennifer Holland. Several episodes will be directed and/or written by James Gunn (writer/director of The Suicide Squad, writer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.) The Hollywood Reporter reported that John Cena will be reprising his role as as Peacemaker, a man who “believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.” Danielle Brooks will play Leota Adebayo. She previously played Tasha Jefferson in Orange is the New Black and voiced Olive Blue in The Angry Birds Movie. Robert Patrick (Agent Cade Gallo on Scorpion and the Terminator T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day) will play Auggie Smith. Jennifer Holland will reprise her role as government agent Emilia Clark. She previously played Becky Phillips in Sun Records and Nurse Blackwell in American Horror Story.
The Suicide Squad, sequel to Suicide Squad (2016) has been delayed to August 6, 2021. There may not be enough time between the movie and the HBO Max series for fans to develop a following.
Constantine 2
Screenrant reported that Constantine 2 will have Keanu Reeves and Peter Stormare reprising their roles as detective/demonologist John Constantine and Lucifer, respectively. Reeves played Neo in The Matrix trilogy, Ted Logan in the Bill and Ted movies, and Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stormare confirmed on Instagram that he will be playing Lucifer in the sequel. Screenrant suggested that the movie would likely be R-rated.
Matt Ryan played John Constantine in the short-lived TV series Constantine and reprised the role in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. However, the DCEU keeps its TV shows and movies separate.
Painkiller
Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter states that Greg Berlanti is planning a sequel to Black Lightning. Jordan Calloway, who played Khalil Payne, aka Painkiller, is due to return to Black Lightning in a fourth season episode, which will act as a backdoor pilot to a spin-off mini-series. Hollywood Reporter said “Salim Akil, who developed Black Lightning, will pen the script, exec produce and direct the pilot. Painkiller is based on DC Comics characters created by Tony Isabella and Eddy Newell.” IMDB.com lists Painkiller as “in development.”
There’s a saying in Hollywood (and by “Hollywood” I mean the entertainment industry at large): “Everybody wants to be first to be second.” Nothing is as low risk for the investors as a sequel, so of course we’re constantly swimming in them.
As long as we’re all doing this anyway, what would you like to see put through the sequel process?
-30-
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
