Saturday at New York Comic Con, Executive Producer and show writer James Gunn was joined by the cast of Creature Commandos to talk about the show and their experiences making it. In attendance were Dean Lorey (Executive Producer), Frank Grillo (Rick Flag Sr.), David Harbour (Frankenstein), Zoë Chao (Nina Mazursky), Steve Agee (Economos), Maria Bakalova (Princess Ilana), Alan Tudyk (Dr. Phosphorus) and Sean Gunn (GI Robot and Weasel). The panel gave a new look into what it was like working on the show, and what fans can expect when it comes out later this year.
James Gunn started off the evening by saying just how happy he was to be making a show like this. According to him, each episode is better than the last, and by episode 7, it was the best experience he's ever had. The immensely positive reception to the first season of Peacemaker spurred DC to order more shows in a similar vein. However, he made sure to clarify that every project from DC studios will be its own thing. They'll be connected, but there is no singular, dictated aesthetic.
According to Dean Lorey, Creature Commandos sets itself apart from other DC animated shows like Harley Quinn by being "grounded", but with style. It's an action show, first and foremost, but there is a dark drama that pervades the series. Gunn contrasted it with Guardians of the Galaxy by saying that while the Commandos are also a band of misfits, there's not that same sentimentality. These are not good people, and fans should expect the show to get dark. He described one episode as "the saddest thing I've ever written". There was apparently one thing in the show that was "too much" and they had to pull it back.
However, it's not all gloom and doom. In addition to being an explicitly adult show due to its drama and violence, it's also explicit in other ways. As Sean Gunn put it: "It's sexy; it's an adult show." At one point, Grillo argued with James Gunn over whether a sex scene Rick Flagg has with Princess Ilana should be considered X-rated or simply "a hard R." Sean Gunn was disappointed that there were no romance scenes with Weasel, but promised that he still spent a lot of time in the studio making licking sounds. Zoë Chao was "gobsmacked" to learn just how many fans online were attracted to the fish-like Nina.
James Gunn explained how the cast was a mix of talent he'd worked with before and those he was blown away by during auditions. Maria Bakalova, who plays Princess Ilana Rostovic, was technically the first person cast for the DCU. Gunn loved working with her so much on Guardians of the Galaxy that he called her as soon as production began on Creature Commandos. The rest of the cast each outlined their characters' basic premises and their excitement to be playing them. Notably, Indira Varma's Bride of Frankenstein was singled out as having the most prominent protagonist role.
Casting was made with DCU synergy in mind. James Gunn wanted each actor to be able to play their characters in both animation and live action. He gave the example of how Frank Grillo will be playing Rick Flagg Sr. in both the upcoming Superman and Peacemaker season 2 in addition to Creature Commandos. It's important to note that doesn't mean that people will have to watch all those other shows and movies to understand this one. Gunn made sure to emphasize that while there will be references, everything relevant to Creature Commandos will be explained in the show.
Creature Commandos premiers December 5 on Max.
Stay tuned for more Batman News coverage of NYCC, including interviews, news, and panels.
