James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ Adds David Dastmalchian to Play Polka-Dot Man

Apr 29, 2019

Warner Bros. sort-of sequel to ‘Suicide Squad’ adds David Dastmalchian to the ever-growing cast. He will play Polka-Dot Man, aka Mister Polka Dot.

However, this isn’t his first DC role, as he’s had roles in CW’s ‘The Flash,’ FOX’s ‘Gotham,’ and his feature film debut: Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight.’ Dastmalchian was recently in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ reprising his role from ‘Ant-Man.’ Next, he will be reuniting with director Denis Villeneuve for ‘Dune,’ as the two were both part of Villeneuve’s previous film ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ as well as 2013’s ‘Prisoners.’

The character description of Polka-Dot Man is below:

“A Gotham City super-villain and a sworn enemy of Batman. He grows multi-colored polka dots on his body that he can turn into fireballs and other weapons, even though, for the most part, he’s embarrassed about his awkward abilities.”

Meanwhile, Gunn serves as writer and director for ‘The Suicide Squad’ (the current title anyway). The film follows David Ayer’s 2016 film ‘Suicide Squad,’ but rather than a straight sequel, this is described as a new take on the property from the mind of Gunn that will feature a mix of new and old characters. Further, the project is very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies.

Moreover, Viola Davis is coming back to play Amanda Waller, while Margot Robbie will reprise the role of Harley Quinn. According to the actor himself, Jai Courtney will be returning to the role of Captain Boomerang. It is unknown whether or not Joel Kinnaman will return as Rick Flagg.

Idris Elba will now be playing a new character, instead of Deadshot (replacing Will Smith). However, the character is unknown, but it could be Bronze Tiger. Deadshot has been written out of the movie, but may return in the future, with Smith returning.

Also, according to Collider, several new characters will be introduced alongside Polka-Dot Man:

  • Ratcatcher, aka Maria the Millennial
  • Nanaue, aka King Shark
  • Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith
    • John Cena (‘Blockers,’ ‘Bumblebee’) is in talks for the role, due to scheduling conflicts from Dave Bautista (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’).

There will also be a monstrous femme fatale character. The description states she is a surly, creature-like, muscular alien woman. The role will require a heavy use of prosthetics, akin to Killer Croc. Our own KC Walsh speculates the character could be either Rampage, Voodoo, a genderbent Despero, or (my pick) Duchess.

Additionally, second unit director and supervising stunt coordinator Guy Norris (‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’) will return as well, as he was part of the first film. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky (‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’) production designer Beth Mickle (‘Drive,’ ‘Only God Forgives’) are also onboard.

Filming will begin this September and wrap sometime in February 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Warner Bros. will release the film on August 6, 2021.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter