James Gunn teases Frank Grillo's role across Peacemaker and Superman: 'He is morally a complex human being'

As the new universe of DC movies and shows kicks off this year from studio co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, viewers should expect one constant on screen across the first few projects: Frank Grillo.

The actor will first appear as team leader Rick Flag, Sr. in animated series Creature Commandos, which premieres this fall on Max. The character has roots in the DC universe already as the father of the late Rick Flag, Jr., a figure played by Joel Kinnaman in Gunn's The Suicide Squad (2021). The filmmaker previously confirmed that Grillo will also play Flag in season 2 of Peacemaker, which sets up potential conflict since it was that show's titular character (John Cena) who killed Flag's son in an earlier movie.

And it doesn't stop there. After paparazzi pics surfaced of Grillo on the set of Superman, Gunn confirms to Entertainment Weekly that Rick Flag, Sr. will be a part of next summer's big-screen release.

"He is a really cool character that Frank has been molding," Gunn tells EW. "The character's also in Superman, and he's an incredibly important part in Peacemaker. He is one of the primary characters in Peacemaker season 2. So we get to see this character from different angles, and he is not simple."

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"This isn't just a good guy, not at all," Gunn continues. "We see all different sides of his character. He is morally a complex human being. Grillo is somebody who I've known for a little while, and I've wanted to work with him for a long time. He was one of the first people that I talked to when I took over the studio, like 'we're going to find something cool for you,' and now he is everywhere."

Creature Commandos, written and executive produced by Gunn, centers around a secret team of incarcerated monsters who are recruited to execute missions that are too dangerous for humans. Grillo's Flag wrangles the squad, which consists of Frankenstein (David Harbour), The Bride (Indira Varma), GI Robot (Sean Gunn), Weasel (also Sean Gunn), Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), and Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao).

Grillo's performance will be proof of concept for a policy Gunn and Safran previously announced about their new DC universe, that characters will consistently be played by the same actor across both animated and live-action projects. So if there's a Superman video game or animated series following next year's movie, the character will likely be played by star David Corenswet in those versions, as well.

By portraying Flag in an animated series, a live-action series, and then a live-action movie, Grillo will really get to inhabit every corner of this burgeoning multi-media franchise.

"The actors have to be able to work within different genres, and that's something Frank's really been good at," Gunn says. "He's been really good at the comedy of Creature Commandos and also really good at the drama of Peacemaker and Superman."

DC fans will get their first taste of Rick Flag, Sr. when Creature Commandos premieres Dec. 5 on Max.