'Suicide Squad' Creator on Movie Casting!

John Ostrander, mastermind behind the modern incarnation of the Suicide Squad was recently asked his opinion on the new film and its controversial casting choices. Here’s what he had to say about his work being turned into a major film property:

"I was pleased, but I wouldn’t have guessed that it would have been one of the properties that they would do quite so quickly. That’s a heck of a slot. It’s the first movie after “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” That places them pretty high and sure, that pleases me."

On specific casting, like Will Smith as Deadshot:

"I’ve seen some of his very serious films, like the one he did with his son, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” I think he is a very versatile and skilled actor. It also depends on how the part is written, what the director wants out of it and what Will Smith brings to it. But I have no doubt that he is fully capable of bringing a really good performance to it. Rick Flag, Enchantress, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang are all making the leap from Ostrander’s Squad to director David Ayers’ teamRemember, my Lawton had a very dry sense of humor. Sometimes you couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He would say things very straight-faced, and you couldn’t always tell if he was kidding or not. “Maybe, I will just shoot your kneecaps off.” Is he kidding or not? It’s hard to know with Lawton.To the general public, Deadshot as a character is not well known, so they wouldn’t really notice any difference. Of course, the people doing the movies want to have the biggest star that they can, because that will help draw people into the movie. Understanding all of that, I have no problem with the casting….What I am really impressed by with all of the casting is that they are getting some very good actors to play these parts. That means Warner Bros. is very serious about this movie. They are serious about the concept….I think Hardy is an excellent actor. Jared Leto as The Joker? Oh, my. This is his first film since winning an Academy Award! That’s pretty high profile for a film called ‘Suicide Squad.’ They are taking this very seriously."

Amanda Waller is one character that has yet to be cast, but the rumors are flying. Ostrander weighed in on that as well:

"What’s really interesting to me is that all three of the women that they were talking about, Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, were at the top of my list. Actually, I was just talking to my fiancé Mary Mitchell the other day, just before this was announced, and those were the three names that came to me off the top of my head. Oprah was actually at the top of my list! She showed in “The Color Purple” that she’s a really good actor, and she’s got the attitude for Waller. And they’re all of the same general build, which I made for Waller. I like that, as well. I think Queen Latifah would be a good fit, too. She almost did Waller when she did “Chicago.” She certainly has the attitude.These are all A-list, big name people. Again, this isn’t a film just for the fans of the comic. They want as many people [as possible], and that means the general public, to go see this film. This kind of casting is capable of grabbing lots of people and putting them in seats. This is a very serious enterprise."

Queen Latifah? Let’s keep our wits about us. You can read the whole interview over at CBR.

‘Suicide Squad’ Creator on Movie Casting!

By Skip Harvey | Dec 9, 2014