‘I Would Never:’ Joel Kinnaman Isn’t Interested in Showing Up in Peacemaker

Joel Kinnaman played Rick Flag in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Toward the film’s end, Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, kills him. Flag’s death would haunt Peacemaker throughout his spinoff series, and with Frank Grillo joining Peacemaker Season 2 as Flag’s dad, does this mean Kinnaman might return in some capacity?

Joel Kinnaman Says He’s Not Interested in Returning for Peacemaker Season 2

In an interview with ScreenRant to promote his upcoming action thriller movie The Silent Hour, Joel Kinnaman took the time to answer a question about DC Studios and their upcoming project Peacemaker Season 2. The actor was asked if he would be reprising his role as Rick Flag for the series, especially since a recent production wrap social media post tagged Kinnaman, implying that he’s a part of it. However, the Rick Flag actor would deny this, stating that he didn’t “know what to say. That’s ridiculous. I would never. I would never be on a show like that. It’s not what I do. It’s not what I do.”

There has been rampant speculation about the second season of Peacemaker, which has had its story and production kept under a tight lid. What is known about the upcoming season is that Frank Grillo will be reprising his role from the forthcoming animated series Creature Commandos as Rick Flag Sr. in Peacemaker Season 2, no doubt holding a grudge for Christopher Smith killing his son in Corto Maltese during the events of The Suicide Squad. And when you add to that the fact that Peacemaker Season 1 ended with Smith hallucinating and seeing his father, whom he also killed in an earlier episode, there was always the possibility that Kinnaman could also return as a specter of Flag to haunt Peacemaker.

Related: Peacemaker Season 2 Gets Release Window

Kinnaman’s comments on the matter seem a bit more blunt than expected, which gives reason to believe that the actor may be playing coy about his potential return. James Gunn’s newly minted DC Studios, which he runs with producing partner Peter Safran, is attempting to reboot the DC Cinematic Universe with projects like Creature Commandos and the upcoming Superman film. So, whether RIck Flag returns as a hallucination or alive again as part of a retcon remains to be seen. For now, we’ll have to take the actor’s word for it that he’s not a part of the project.

Season 1 of Peacemaker is streaming now on Max.