‘Peacemaker’ Tried to Use a Real Eagle Before Opting for a CGI—’This Poor Eagle Is Being Terrorized’
HBO Max released its newest DCEU superhero show, Peacemaker. The show contains plenty of vulgar jokes, and some comments are toward other DC heroes. The finale already aired, but fans can get excited to know that there will be a season 2.
People will likely get to see Eagly appear alongside Peacemaker again. Eagly is a realistic-looking eagle, but he is nothing but visual effects. The creators once attempted to use a trained bird to perform in several scenes.
‘Peacemaker’ is a successful superhero show
Peacemaker is another entry into the DCEU franchise, and it finished its first season in February of this year. The show stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, and Jennifer Holland. Cena portrays Peacemaker, and the story picks up after the events of Suicide Squad.
Peacemaker ends up joining a mysterious black-ops squad to get rid of parasitic creatures. The protagonist is an anti-hero who can be a jerk. Originally, the writers planned to kill him off in The Suicide Squad. However, the director changed his fate when HBO greenlit Peacemaker.
The series about an obscure comic book character turned out to be a hit among viewers. Other characters include Vigilante and Leota. The first season has eight episodes, and the finale contains multiple DCEU cameos of well-known superheroes.
During the fight with the butterflies, most members of the Justice League show up. However, only Aquaman and The Flash have actual lines. Fans have multiple questions about the next season, but they will need to wait for future news.
‘Peacemaker’ tried to have a real bird on set
Among the list of recurring characters, one of them is an eagle named Eagly. Many fans have grown to care for the flying creature. Like other animal-like characters, James Gunn made Eagly a full-CGI bird with a voice actor.
According to CinemaBlend, Gunn tried to use a real bird for a few scenes instead of special effects. However, issues on set caused his plans to fall through. Gunn explained in an interview why he had to ditch an animal actor and go the computer-generated route.
“We actually brought an eagle onto the set at the very beginning of production, and the eagle was absolutely having none of it. And I’m like, ‘I can’t. This guy is so sad right now! I can’t do it with this guy. This poor eagle is being terrorized.’ And I’m like, ‘He doesn’t want to be here.’ So we made him CGI,” Gunn stated.
The director hired a visual effects company that has worked on his previous projects. Some fans still enjoy seeing Eagly regardless.
Eagly is a supporting character in ‘Peacemaker’
Eagly is the pet bird of Peacemaker, and Dee Bradley Baker voices him. The bald eagle does not appear in the original comics and exists only in the show. Gunn drew inspiration for the character from the real story of Freedom the Eagle.
The character appears in the first episode when Peacemaker goes to retrieve him from his father’s house. During the reunion, Eagly spreads his wings to hug the protagonist. The bird remains by Peacemaker’s side throughout the series as a sidekick.
For example, Eagly helps Peacemaker find the cow. He also tries to save the anti-hero from Auggie’s followers, only to receive injuries.
“Eagley is much more than a sidekick. Eagley is Peacemaker’s best friend. It’s the unconditional love that a pet would give the pet’s owner, or the pet’s caregiver. That’s Eagley. And Eagley more like a cat than a dog. He’s certainly got his own personality, and he’s independent,” Cena stated.
