When Suicide Squad rolls into theaters next year, Jai Courtney will be introduced to audiences as the first ever big screen adaptation of the character Captain Boomerang. But while fans of DC Comics may be excited to see the Australian supervillain at the movies, apparently the star playing him wasn't actually too hot on the role at first, and he actually deemed the idea cringe-worthy.
Spotlight Report recently had the chance to interview Courtney about his role in the upcoming Terminator Genisys, and it was during their conversation that the actor opened up about his first reaction to what will be his first comic book movie role. Asked how he first got involved with Suicide Squad, the actor explained that he really signed on for the opportunity to work with writer/director David Ayer, and that he had a few concerns about his role going in. Said Courtney,
To be honest, when [David Ayer] told me that the role of Captain Boomerang was what he was thinking, I kind of cringed. ‘Cause I wasn’t a comic book kid. I wasn’t familiar with the DC universe and the history of that’. So I knew nothing about it. And I was, like, ‘Oh, god, Captain Boomerang… Really? I really don’t know how Australians will react to this.’
So if the star's reaction was so negative, why did he ultimately decide that he wanted the gig? It all came down to Ayer's personal approach towards Suicide Squad - which Courtney says embraces the comic book elements of the characters and story within a serious drama. Working with the filmmaker, he's been finding a balance between both worlds. He explained,
he’s the perfect guy to have on your side, because you look at some of the comic books and some of the old sixties stuff is so hammy, you know, and kind of camp. But, get a guy like David Ayer at the helm of a thing like this and it really gets kind of dark and gritty, and, you know, awesome. And he’s a stickler for authenticity.
Even as a comic book fan, one can understand why Jai Courtney might be a tad big nervous about his Suicide Squad role. The ability to throw boomerangs extremely well isn't exactly the most amazing ability seen in the superhero medium, and there was a point when his costume was a light blue number with white boomerangs all over it (plus a silly hat)
As seen in the image up top, however, that's obviously not the direction that the movie's going with the design of the character.
Suicide Squad is now in production, and will be in theaters on August 5th. Jai Courtney will next be seen in Terminator Genisys, which will be in theaters on July 1st.
