James Gunn Confirms He’s Still ‘Working On’ Amanda Waller Show with Viola Davis: It’s ‘Not Been the Fastest’ (Exclusive)

James Gunn says Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller will return — but it may take longer than people had expected.

Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively at DCU’s Peacemaker season 2 premiere in New York City on Aug. 13, Gunn said that he and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran are still working on the Amanda Waller series starring Davis, 60.

“We’re working on it, so we’ll see what happens,” the director, 59, says. “Some things have moved faster than others. Waller’s not been the fastest.” 

“But I can’t wait to see Viola put on their Waller pants again,” he adds. 

Gunn also discussed the decision to release Peacemaker’s second season ahead of the Waller show in a since-deleted X post, writing that some “shuffling” was “done” for a “variety of reasons.” 

“Unlike most studios, we’ll never start production on a process if the script isn’t finished. Quality is the utmost priority,” he continued on X. 

Safran echoed Gunn’s sentiments earlier this year in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying the project has faced its fair share of hurdles.

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“We’ve taken a couple of cracks at it but still haven’t been able to land,” Safran told the outlet in February. “Waller has been a bumpy road.”

Despite the challenges with Waller, Gunn and Safran found more solid footing when it came to continuing John Cena’s Peacemaker story.

Gunn explained to PEOPLE at the premiere event that the second season dives deeper into the character’s journey, shifting from “coming to terms” with the demons that shaped him in season one to finally confronting them “head-on.”

Gunn said it was also easier to continue Peacemaker’s story from the previous DCEU, explaining that all it took was a “couple of minor permutations” and “fine, we’re in DCU all good and dandy.”

The film creator’s next DCU projects include Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, starring Milly Alcock, and Lanterns, starring Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler.