It’s not offical yet, but it appears that somebody familiar with getting away with murder will be joining the Suicide Squad. Namely, Viola Davis. Which is good news on the talent front, but kind of lousy in a few other ways.
First, the rumor. It comes from Latino Review, so season with salt accordingly, but they claim Davis is more or less a lock. However, she will have to fit the job into her TV shooting schedule, as she’s part of ABC’s Shonda Rhimes block on Thursday. So she might have to let go of the role, but it seems likely she’ll squeeze it in somehow.
Now, as to why it’s lousy. In the original comics, this is Amanda Waller:
Davis is a talented actress and I’m glad she’s on board. But by the same token, part of what made Amanda Waller such a great character is that she was a far more realistic character than the superheroes around her and how she looked was a part of that. Waller wasn’t somebody who, if worst came to worst, could backflip her way out of a situation. She was just the smartest, and frequently the most ruthless, person in the room, and that was often enough.
I’m hoping the feeling that Waller is a human being who could actually be out there, who can not only stand up to gods but make them do her bidding, is central to the script. Otherwise, there’s just no point in having the Wall in this movie, and that’d be a shame.
