James Gunn has confirmed that John Ostrander has a role in The Suicide Squad. Ostrander is probably best-known for creating the second and modern version of the Suicide Squad comics. Director David Ayer first took on the squad in the 2016 movie, but it failed to excite fans and critics, though it was a box office success. Gunn has taken the characters, and added some new ones to the mix, noting that his vision “does not contradict the first movie, I don’t think. It might in some small ways… I don’t know…”
Good eye, Justin! Yes, John Ostrander – the creator of the late ‘80’s Squad in the comics – who just happens to have started in the entertainment industry as an actor (he’s really good!) – plays Dr. Fitzgibbon in the #TheSuicideSquadhttps://t.co/uunKlbbl3Y
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 29, 2020
Yesterday, James Gunn shared a sneak peek at the upcoming Empire Magazine feature on The Suicide Squad. The short video teases a lengthy interview with the director, along with a bunch of images from the movie and behind-the-scenes. One eagle-eyed DC Comics fan happened to notice John Ostrander and asked Gunn about it on social media. The director replied, “The creator of the late ’80’s Squad in the comics – who just happens to have started in the entertainment industry as an actor (he’s really good!) – plays Dr. Fitzgibbon in The Suicide Squad.”
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 29, 2020
In the image from The Suicide Squad, John Ostrander’s Dr. Fitzgibbons can be seen running a checkup or possible experiment on Michael Rooker’s Savant. Savant is dressed in orange, which leads one to believe that he is behind bars and that Fitzgibbons is probably working for Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, the head of the Suicide Squad. This has not been confirmed, as James Gunn only confirmed that Ostrander has a part in the movie.
James Gunn previously mentioned that John Ostrander’s source material had a major influence on The Suicide Squad. The director has not been shy about praising Ostrander and it seems as though the feeling is mutual. “I’m a big fan of James Gunn!” Ostrander said back in August. He added that the “footage looks hot. Can’t wait! I’m jazzed!” The footage that Ostrander is speaking of was The Suicide Squad sizzle reel that Gunn shared at the DC FanDome event over the summer. With all of the new images from the movie popping up, DC fans are hoping that the first official trailer is on the way.
The original Suicide Squad comics were created by Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru for The Brave and the Bold No. 25 in 1959. John Ostrander revived the characters in 1987, which is what most comic book fans know as the traditional characters that James Gunn is bringing to the big screen. When asked about his goal of taking on the characters, Ostrander just wanted to write engaging storylines. “I just went out and wrote the best stories I could with a concept I really liked,” he explained. “The most I hoped for was that they would be gathered together in a trade format. Didn’t really think about it being a movie, let alone as high powered one as this looks to be.” You can check out the John Ostrander confirmation above, thanks to James Gunn’s Twitter account.
