Gunn, Cena Surprised by HBO Max Rebrand

DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn and other members of the Peacemaker crew were taken by surprise when they discovered that Warner Bros. Discovery would be reverting the name of its streaming service back to HBO Max while filming promotional content for Season 2. Their candid reactions have been a source of amusement for fans and highlight the confusion surrounding the rebrand.

The announcement that the streaming service would abandon the Max moniker and return to HBO Max this summer left many bewildered, including some of the biggest names at DC. The official X account of the soon-to-be-renamed Max captured the moment when Gunn and Peacemaker star John Cena learned about the change during a promotional shoot scheduled for the show's August 21 debut.

In the footage, Gunn is seen reading from a teleprompter and is visibly surprised when he reads "HBO Max" instead of "MAX." He questions the change, only to be informed that it's not a mistake and will be officially announced at the Upfront. Gunn's humorous reaction includes saying, "God, we’re calling it HBO Max – what? We’re calling it HBO Max again?" Other crew members, including DC Studios Co-CEO Peter Safran, also chime in, adding to the confusion and hilarity of the moment. Gunn, however, expresses his approval, stating, "That’s good, actually, but I didn’t know that was happening."

Meanwhile, John Cena seems well-informed about the rebrand and is seen in his video breaking the news to some of the crew behind the camera. These reactions have sparked speculation about whether this could be an elaborate publicity stunt by the HBO Max team, but regardless, it's entertaining to see key figures from DC Studios responding to the streaming service's latest rebranding efforts.

HBO Max initially launched in 2020 and became a go-to platform for a wide range of streaming content. The name remained until 2023 when Warner Bros. Discovery, after merging, decided to drop the HBO part of the name in favor of simply Max. Now, after two years of adjustment to the new name, the company has decided to revert back to HBO Max, leaving subscribers to once again adapt to the change.

No specific date for the rebranding has been announced yet. As we await further updates on both HBO Max and the highly anticipated Peacemaker Season 2, fans can explore other notable DC projects slated for 2025 and delve into the key highlights from the latest Peacemaker Season 2 trailer.