James Gunn and John Cena Were Just as Surprised by the HBO Max Rebrand as Everyone Else

DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn and different Peacemaker unit members seemingly recovered retired Warner Bros. Discovery would beryllium bringing backmost the HBO Max sanction portion filming promotional worldly for Season 2 – and their reactions are priceless.

Minds were boggled erstwhile HBO’s genitor institution revealed it would beryllium reverting its streaming work rebrand earlier today. It’s a determination that volition spot apps ditch the Max sanction successful favour of the archetypal HBO Max banner this summer, and if you thought that was confusing, conscionable cognize that immoderate of the biggest names astatine DC person been near scratching their heads, too.

The soon-to-be-renamed Max's authoritative X relationship shared recorded reactions from Gunn and Peacemaker prima John Cena soon aft its announcement today. The brace appears to beryllium speechmaking from a teleprompter encouraging audiences to ticker Peacemaker Season 2 erstwhile it debuts August 21.

As Gunn is telling viewers wherever to watch, we get to spot him respond to the sanction alteration successful existent time. Gunn is taken aback erstwhile the publication he's speechmaking from says HBO Max and not MAX. He's informed that it's not a mistake and volition beryllium announced astatine the Upfront.

That's bully actually. pic.twitter.com/b3WNWOsyT2

“God, we’re calling it HBO Max – what?” Gunn teases. “We’re calling it HBO Max again?”

At this point, we perceive different unit members, including DC Studios Co-CEO Peter Safran, chime in. It’s a confusing (and hilarious) infinitesimal caught connected film, but Gunn, astatine least, says he’s blessed with the change: “That’s good, actually, but I didn’t cognize that was happening.”

Cena, meanwhile, is firmly successful the loop. Instead of the footage showing the wrestler-turned-actor uncovering retired astir Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest streaming work rebrand, his video really sees him breaking the quality to immoderate of the radical down the camera.

All of this could, of course, conscionable beryllium an elaborate publicity stunt orchestrated by the HBO Max team. Either way, it’s excessively comic seeing immoderate of the astir important names astatine DC Studios reacting to the streamer's latest rebrand.

POV: uncovering retired astir the rebrand from @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/eyQxhTcJrs

HBO Max primitively launched successful 2020 and served arsenic a hub for a assortment of contented to stream. It’s sanction stuck until 2023, erstwhile the recently merged Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would beryllium ditching the HBO information of its sanction successful favour of Max. Now, aft subscribers spent 2 years dilatory moving the one-word sanction into their vocabulary, the institution has decided HBO Max is really a large name.

No circumstantial merchandise day for the caller rebrand has been announced. While we hold for an update connected some HBO Max and Peacemaker Season 2, you tin cheque retired the astir notable DC projects coming successful 2025. You tin besides work up connected our biggest takeaways from Peacemaker Season 2's latest trailer.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance contributor with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).