Frank Grillo joins Peacemaker season 2 as Rick Flag Sr.

In case you missed it, director James Gunn dropped a bombshell update this past Friday that has left DCU fans mixed in reaction. Gunn took to social media, sharing on Instagram in a post from the set of Superman that Frank Grillo, who is currently set to portray the character of Rick Flag Sr. on the upcoming DCU animated project Creature Commandos, will leap from animation to live-action. 

Grillo will be joining the star-studded cast of the John Cena-led series Peacemaker, Which has been in production since last month. Director James Gunn, who has been juggling between the rebooted David Corenswet Superman film, Peacemaker season 2, and Creature Commandos, is at the helm of these projects, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to the DCU. 

Check out Gunn’s announcement below:

"Pleased to announce the great [Frank Grillo] will be reprising the role of Rick Flag, Sr - the role he’ll first play in animated form in Creature Commando - throughout Season 2 of Peacemaker DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn said on Instagram. Christopher Smith and Rick Sr have a little unfinished business to take care of...
"

- DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn

Now, I’m all for an interconnected DCU that is fully utilized and structured, but I’m confused about one thing, and I feel I speak for audiences and fans alike. Does this mean that The Suicide Squad is canon, or does the story fall under the weightless umbrella of Gunn declaring that some elements are canon but not all?  

As we all know, a primary dangling plot thread was that Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith, killed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman). With the caption of unfinished business being center stage, it seems that I answered my question, but I’m interested to see how this will all play out. However, I feel putting that thought on the back burner is necessary. I hope that, in time, we will all get clarification on this decision. 

Of course, I’m all for Grillo making the jump from Marvel to DC as he was fantastic in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), but it’s not a secret to deny as the films went on, his role as the villain Crossbones, was vastly diminished, to his on-screen death in Captain America: Civil War, before making a minor off-shoot cameo in What If…. As to why I’m always optimistic, Gunn will deliver. 

While doing a deeper inspection of the post, I just remembered that I noticed logos for Stagg Industries and Big Belly Burger, two iconic landmarks in DC Comic lore. This raises the question of whether we will see a proper origin for the character of Metamorpho, who will be in the film as Anthony Carrigan has been cast as Rex Mason.  We still have no plot details besides the iconic suit reveal, which looks like a battle-damaged variation of the Man of Tomorrow’s suit. 

For the time being, Grillo is the most recent addition to the John Cena-led production, with primary characters whom Gunn confirmed as returning are Viglinate (Freddie Stroma), John Economos (Steve Agee), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), and Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) are all making the jump from season 1 into the DCU. 

All episodes of Peacemaker season 1 are now available and streaming on MAX.