James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad crash lands in theaters and on HBO Max this coming August. A follow-up to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, the movie is the tenth installment in the DC Extended Universe. While Suicide Squad was rated PG-13, The Suicide Squad will up the ante with an R-rating. The superhero flick has been previously described as a standalone sequel to Suicide Squad, also serving as a soft reboot of the critically panned 2016 film. However, John Cena — who plays Peacemaker in the movie — would describe it as neither.

In a recent interview with ObserverCena explained his subjective take on the film. “Perception is everything, and I won’t change your perception. But I’ll offer my own,” he stated. “The Suicide Squad is neither a sequel nor reboot. The Suicide Squad is the Suicide Squad from the brain of one of the most amazingly twisted creative minds in James Gunn that I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.” He then went on to say that Gunn is “gifted in so many ways.”

Cena also acknowledged how the “sequel or reboot” question fuels the The Suicide Squad’s hype. “The good thing about what’s going on with The Suicide Squad is exactly what you’re saying. People are kind of expecting to be something,” said Cena. “But nobody’s ready to see this movie. Everyone needs it in their life, trust me. But nobody’s ready to see what it is. Nobody.” Cena’s enthusiasm towards Gunn is apparent, and the pair will work together again on a Peacemaker spinoff series for HBO Max.

Of course, Cena’s observation is just one take. Due to its placement in the DCEU, The Suicide Squad will chronologically still act as a sequel to Suicide Squad. But the technicalities of defining it as a sequel or reboot boils down to each viewer’s opinion.

The Suicide Squad arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6.

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