Waller: Cast, Story, & Everything We Know About The Suicide Squad Spin-Off (2024)

After news hit that there would be a spin-off series, titled Waller, details about the show and the cast have slowly been revealed. Amanda Waller is the head of the A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group United Support) that heads up the members of the Suicide Squad and generally commits minor acts of terrorism in order to avoid even larger catastrophes. In the DCEU timeline, Waller first appeared in the 2016 Suicide Squad and has since been in a number of DCEU properties, always as the same stone-faced, no-nonsense boss who casually uses supervillains to achieve her ends.

Since Suicide Squad, Waller has been played by Viola Davis in The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, and HBO’s series Peacemaker, bringing her acting gravitas to the superhero world. Davis has one of the best filmographies of any living actor and her portrayal as Waller has always been one of the bright spots of the DCEU. For HBO’s Waller, Davis will be a focal point of James Gunn’s DCU. Gunn has proposed an 8 to 10-year plan for DC properties and the first chapter of that plan will include Waller.

Waller Latest News

A Release Date Won't Be Set Until Scripts Are Finished

After first being announced during the reveal of James Gunn's DCU, there has surprisingly been little news regarding Waller. Fortunately, though, James Gunn opened up a bit about the upcoming series, briefly replying in a social media post that it is still currently in development. Gunn has said before that no DCU will actually receive a release date until the scripts have been completed, something that DC's new universe seems to be doing in response to the messy situation Marvel Studios sometimes find themselves in regarding project delays.

Alongside James Gunn, Screen Rant recently interviewed Steve Agee about his role in Peacemaker season 2 and any updates regarding the status of Waller, in which he will reprise his role. It confirms what Gunn has been saying all along regarding how projects will move forward. Agee's entire statement regarding Waller is as follows:

I think they're still doing scripts, so there's no set time yet, and James won't start something until he's absolutely happy with the scripts and they're they're ready to go. So once they're ready, I'm sure he'll announce a start time - as an actor who loves to work, it can't happen soon enough, though, for me! [laughs]

Waller Confirmed

The Series Is Happening Despite No Release Date Being Set

Waller has been confirmed by Gunn for HBO Max for “Chapter 1” of the DCEU. Announced alongside Waller for the upcoming DCEU is Lanterns, which will be about the two Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart; Paradise Lost, set in Wonder Woman's homeland Themyscira; and Booster Gold, about a man from the future who pretends to be a superhero with his future tech.

Production Status & Where Waller Fits Into The DC Release Slate

Creature Commandos & Peacemaker Season 2 Could Provide Hints

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There is currently no release date for Waller or any of the DCEU under Gunn, but the producer has dropped some hints about when the series may be released. During his explanation of the first chapter of the DCEU, titled “Gods and Monsters”Gunn announced that the true start of the DCU would be Superman, which is slated to be released on July 11, 2025, while Amanda Waller will appear in Creature Commandos in December 2024.

Peacemaker season 2 has been confirmed to be released in August 2025, and with the Waller scripts still being worked on, it is unclear where exactly the series will take place within the wider world of the DCU. It will presumably follow the events of Peacemaker season 1, and whatever might happen to Amanda Waller in Creature Commandos, though.

Waller Cast

Only Viola Davis Is Confirmed

As reported by The Direct, Viola Davis said she's excited about reprising her role as Waller. So far, she’s the only actor announced for the series. However, some characters from past films and shows could also theoretically appear. For instance, the comics actually reveal that Waller raised Nanaue from when he was a child, making them a strange mother-son pair. The Waller spin-off could bring King Shark back to the DCEU. This would also make for an interesting dynamic between Waller and her daughter Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), as the audience could see how Waller treats her “children” differently.

More characters have been hinted at thanks to a portion of Gunn’s announcement for the DCEU that went under the radar. It appears that some undisclosed characters from Peacemaker will be returning for Waller (via The Wrap). As season 2 of Peacemaker will come out before Waller, there’s a chance that John Cena makes an appearance as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker, along with the rest of the team.

Waller Story Details

With Scripts Still Being Written, The Story Is Unclear

There has not been any information released yet on what exactly the Waller series is going to be about but the end of Peacekeeper season 1 may give some clues. Peacemaker’s ending may have made Suicide Squad 3 impossible, but it could have opened up a new direction for Waller. With Task Force X exposed, and Waller's involvement known to the general public, the follow-up series could focus on her crisis management and show her hiding even more sensitive information by any means necessary.

Waller could also explore the character finding a way to rebuild a different version of Task Force X. Audiences have only seen Waller at the height of her power, so it would be interesting to see what it looks like when she has to start from nothing, recruit personnel, and get in close with the government. It would be a grassroots version of A.R.G.U.S. and could even flip Peacemaker and make way for a new entry in the series with Suicide Squad 3.

Waller Showrunners & Producers

Writers From Doom Patrol & Watchmen Lead The Way

Gunn and his co-head of DC Studios Peter Safran, have announced some of the creative forces who will be working on Waller. According to Collider, Doom Patrol series creator Jeremy Carver will be teaming up with Watchmen writer Christal Henry to write the upcoming Waller. Safran, Gunn, Carver, and Henry represent the creative minds behind arguably the best films and television shows DC has put out within the last 10 years, so to have them all together in one place for a series starring an Academy Award winner puts some high expectations on the series.

How Will Waller Effectively Use Davis?

Gunn & Davis Could Bring Out The Best In The Character

The DCEU had a troubled journey, particularly when compared to how well Kevin Feige’s MCU has been run. Bringing in Gunn to co-head DC movies was an intelligent move by DC. Gunn helped shape the brand of Marvel humor with Guardians of the Galaxy and completed the monumental task of bringing the MCU into space. Before Guardians, the MCU was mostly stuck on Earth or Asgard, but Gunn’s film widened the scope of the universe and paved the way for Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet Saga. It should be simple to get something like Waller off the ground successfully.

Too much restarting in the DC films and TV series has led to the need for more exposition at the cost of character development and moments, which is a shame, particularly when it comes to an actor as talented as Davis. It's up to Gunn now to refocus the DCEU and that will include stopping the underutilization of actors like Davis in the DCEU. With Gunn’s help, the DCEU has been trending in a direction that has seen better utilization of the on-screen talent, from main characters to supporting ones and hopefully, it will be the same for Waller.

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Waller (DCU)

Action

Adventire

Drama

Waller follows Amanda Waller, the covert government operative known for assembling and leading the infamous Suicide Squad. Set within the DC Universe, the series delves into her manipulative tactics, complex moral decisions, and interactions with both allies and adversaries as she navigates the treacherous world of espionage and superhuman intrigue. Viola Davis reprises her role, bringing depth to this enigmatic character.

Cast

Viola Davis , Danielle Brooks , Steve Agee

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Max

Franchise(s)

DC Universe

Writers

Jeremy Carver , Christal Henry

Main Genre

Action

Creator(s)

Jeremy Carver , Christal Henry

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

• 

  Superman

  Release Date

  July 11, 2025

• 

  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

  Release Date

  June 26, 2026

• 

  The Batman Part II

  Release Date

  October 2, 2026