James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ Eyeing Daniela Melchior For Ratcatcher

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is eyeing Daniela Melchior for the role of Ratcatcher.

According to Variety, Melchior is set to join David Dastmalchian and Idris Elba in the film. In the comics, Ratcatcher was a Gotham City exterminator before developing the ability to communicate with sewer rats and use them as an army of rodents. With Melchior cast in the role, the character has been gender-swapped for its big screen debut.

David Dastmalchian has been cast as Polka-Dot Man, a minor Batman villain who started out as a low-level crook before committing crimes with polka dot themes in an attempt to make a name for himself. The villain’s spotted costume also features concealed weapons and James Gunn’s take on the character will reportedly lean into the embarrassment of his “lame” abilities.

The first Suicide Squad followed a team of supervillains who were recruited by the government for a dangerous black ops mission in exchange for reduced sentences. The ensemble cast included Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jared Leto as The Joker.

Warrior director Gavin O’Connor was previously set to write and direct Suicide Squad 2 with Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, and Will Smith having been confirmed to return for the sequel. Gunn, however, will have a whole new take on the supervillain team-up, with a new squad that will bring back select members of the original cast such as Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. Joel Kinnaman is reportedly out as far as returning as Rick Flagg.

Plot details remain under wraps. A previous draft of the script was once rumored to center on the supervillain team’s mission to find a terrifying new Weapon of Mass Destruction that happened to be Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the next Suicide Squad and the future of DC Films as we learn it.

Source: Variety