Suicide Squad adds newcomer Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher
According to Variety, Portuguese actress-model Daniela Melchior (Valor da Vida) has signed on to join the ensemble cast of director James Gunn’s forthcoming sequel The Suicide Squad. Melchior is set portray the role of Batman villain Ratcatcher, who is reportedly being described as someone connected to Idris Elba’s unknown character.
She will be joining previously announced cast members John Cena (Bumblebee), David Dastmalchian (Antman and The Wasp), and Golden Globe winner Idris Elba (Thor: Ragnarok) along with returning cast members Viola Davis and Jai Courtney. This project marks Melchior’s first major Hollywood movie.
In the comics, Ratcatcher was originally a male character but according to the outlet’s sources, Warner Bros. decided to gender-swapped the role. Ratcatcher’s real name was Otis Flannegan. He is known to use rats as a way to torture his enemies.
RELATED: Extended Brightburn Trailer Revealed by James Gunn
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn will write and direct The Suicide Squad, which will act as a soft reboot for the franchise. While earlier this year a report suggested Margot Robbie will skip this sequel as well, the new report says that Harley Quinn will appear, though it’s less clear if Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flagg will return.
In addition to Robbie returning for a minor role in the film, Viola Davis returning as government team leader Amanda Waller and the size of Jai Courtney’s return as Captain Boomerang currently unknown, Will Smith dropped out as assassin Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot. The character was originally thought to return for the sequel with Idris Elba (Hobbs & Shaw) taking over the role, however it has since been revealed Elba will be portraying a completely new character. The film will introduce a roster of new characters to the franchise in a move that will propel the story forward in a way that’s both a sequel and a soft reboot for the franchise.
The first film, which hit theaters in August 2016, opened to mostly negative reviews from critics and mixed reviews from audiences, but was a large financial success, grossing nearly $750 million at the global box office off of a $175 million budget and went on to win an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, marking the first DCEU film to win an Oscar.
Warner Bros. has scheduled The Suicide Squad to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)