Prior to Peacemaker exposing Adrian Chase’s secret identity as a sadistic busboy and born killer, who was played by Freddie Stroma, a different actor wore the mask in the first season of James Gunn’s spinoff series The Suicide Squad. In this show, the costumed madman accompanied his “best friend” and contract killer Christopher Smith (portrayed by John Cena). Alongside Smith, characters like Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), and John Economos (Steve Agee) from the 11th Street Kids saved the world from an alien invasion as part of Amanda Waller’s Project Butterfly.
However, the initial choice for the actor playing the character in the series was Chris Conrad (from “Patriot”). He had filmed half of the first season’s eight episodes while wearing the Vigilante suit before being substituted by Stroma. During episode 2 of the “Peacemaker: The Official Podcast with James Gunn”, the showrunner and creator revealed their reasons for swapping out the actor halfway through filming season 1.
Initially, we completed episodes 1 through 5 and partially finished episode 8. Then, for several reasons, we decided it was necessary to replace the actor. This decision caused me some worry at night because I’m deeply attached to this show, more so than any other project I’ve worked on. Unfortunately, one crucial aspect of the story wasn’t living up to its potential, and surprisingly enough, that happened to be the character most beloved by the script’s readers.
The TV series “Peacemaker” began filming its first season in early 2021 amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating a fresh actor to undergo a two-week quarantine before joining the Vancouver production team. As Gunn explained, the search was on for a new Vigilante character and time was of the essence since half of the episodes had already been filmed with the masked Vigilante in costume. To ensure continuity, the chosen actor needed to fit into a suit that had been tailored according to Conrad’s physique.
He went on to explain that we needed to locate an individual with specific dimensions for the suit, but this proved challenging. In fact, due to tight deadlines, we ended up searching for someone who could fit the existing suit rather than creating a new one.
In many instances during season 1, when an actor is wearing a complete suit and helmet, it’s usually the original actor themselves,” explained Holland, who co-hosts the rewatch podcast with Agee and Gunn. “However, Stroma’s voice has been replaced by another actor.
In 2021, it was reported that Conrad parted ways with the show “Peacemaker” amicably, citing differing creative viewpoints as the reason for his departure. (The original actor remains unnamed.)
The second season of the series “Peacemaker,” featuring returning stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick, along with new additions Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, and Tim Meadows, is set to debut on August 21st on HBO Max.
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2025-07-29 22:10