In addition to reuniting DCU fans with Rick Flag Sr., the new head of A.R.G.U.S., following his appearances in Creature Commandos and Superman, HBO Max’s Peacemaker Season 2 will introduce a handful of new agents from the government organization when it premieres on the 2025 TV schedule. As it turns out, one of those agents ended up being the “hardest” part “to cast” in the upcoming DC TV show. In the end, it was decided that Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows who would be the best fit to play this character, and now I’m even more excited to see him in action.
Steve Agee, who plays John Economos as a series regular in Peacemaker, informed me that show creator and DC Studios co-head James Gunn had the most difficulty casting Agent Langston Fleury, whom Meadows was announced to be playing in June 2024. When I asked Agee (who’s also appeared as Economos in The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos) during my interview with him, he started off by saying:
Incredible. It was absolutely incredible. I already knew Tim a little bit just through friends socially, and he's somebody that I've always wanted to work with. I never saw it happening anytime in the near future, and then that was a really tough part for James to cast. It was probably the hardest part, the hardest character to cast this season.
Peacemaker marks Tim Meadows’ first time appeared in a comic book adaptation, although he did add some genre cred to his resume in 2023 when he portrayed Colonel Tuttle in an episode of The Mandalorian. The comedic talent also known from movies and TV shows like The Ladies Man, Mean Girls and The Goldbergs was someone Steve Agee had already crossed paths with, and he ended up coming into the Peacemaker picture at just the right time. Agee continued:
And I remember at one point James messaging me going, ‘We’re just unable to find these…’ I did chemistry reads on Zoom with some other actors. They were good, but it just wasn't quite what James was envisioning. And then he's like, ‘I’m thinking about reaching out to Tim Meadows.’ And I was like, ‘Dude, Tim would kill this. Tim would kill this part.’ And I'm biased ‘cause I love the guy already and I've always wanted to work with him, and I was super excited when he got hired. It was better than I imagined, a lot of laughing.
Aside from the first Peacemaker Season 2 trailer showing Langston Fleury’s “skill” at creating inappropriate nicknames, and the new red-band trailer revealing that someone’s going to spit in his face, we don’t know what to specifically expect from him. Although, if someone went to the effort to spit on him, that might indicate his personality leaves something to be desired. More importantly, although Steve Agee had a great time working with Tim Meadows, what kind of dynamic will John Economos have with Fleury?
Season 2’s lineup of newcomers also includes Sol Rodríguez as Sasha Bordeaux and Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild, as well as David Denman, Anissa Matlock, Taylor St. Clair, Dorian Kingi and Brandon Stanley in undisclosed roles. Peacemaker returns to HBO Max on Thursday, August 21, and the early critical reception is quite positive.
