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SUICIDE SQUAD Sets Viola Davis to Play Amanda Waller
by Matt Goldberg Posted 10 hours ago

I’m more excited for Suicide Squad than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Not only does it look like it’s not trying to rush a setup for a big crossover film, it’s got a bonkers cast that includes Tom Hardy as Rick Flag, Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Cara Delevinge as Enchantress, and Jared Leto as The Joker. Now the incredibly talented Viola Davis is rounding out the cast to play Amanda Waller. In the comics, Waller is a cold, pragmatic government agent who’s in charge of the Suicide Squad, a team of supervillains tasked with carrying out secret missions in exchange for pardons.
Hit the jump for more.
We previously reported that Oprah Winfrey and Octavia Spencer were also in the mix to play Waller (who was played by Angela Basset in Green Lantern), and while they would have been interesting choices, I’m totally fine with Davis. She’s a terrific actress (she absolutely deserved to win Best Actress over Meryl Streep in 2012), and now I have yet another reason to be jazzed for Suicide Squad.
If she’s on board, then Warner Bros. must have found a way to work around her TV schedule as she stars on the hit show How to Get Away with Murder. Presumably, she doesn’t have a ton of screen time in Suicide Squad, or her role is something that can be handled on relatively few sets such as a command center or government office as opposed to going out in the field with the squad.
Also, Waller is a major player in the comics, so I assume that this isn’t a one-and-done for Davis, although Latino Review doesn’t mention whether or not she’s signed to a multi-picture deal.
Directed by David Ayer (Fury), production on Suicide Squad is set to begin in April for an August 5, 2016 release.