A beautiful face can get you places in Hollywood, but how boring would it be if every actor populating the 2026 movie calendar looked like Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey or Michael B. Jordan? OK, maybe that was a bad example, but still, there are countless great character actors who may sport a more unique look, and fans are making their voices heard after a list went around claiming that guys like Gary Oldman, Walton Goggins and Alan Tudyk were “not hot enough to be a lead.”

There’s definitely more to being “hot” than having a chiseled jaw and rock-hard abs, and a good personality can be significantly more important (even Sydney Sweeney doesn’t want to date a jerk). So when stars like J.K. Simmons, David Dastmalchian, Steve Buscemi and Paul Dano showed up on a Reddit post asking for people’s “Favorite ugly bastard we call a ‘character actor’ as a nice way of saying they’re just not hot enough to be a lead?,” fanbases were activated. BabypintoJuniorLube responded with a timely comparison, writing:

Forget the fact that a lot of the men put forward by the original poster have been the lead in movies and on TV, because Redditors really took issue with the suggestion that these actors are ugly in the first place.

Gary Oldman seems to have gotten the lion’s share of responses, with fans imploring people to look past his flatulent-heavy role on Slow Horses to remember Sid and Nancy, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and even the Harry Potter movies. Comments included:

• Dude was sexy! Watched an older movie with him in it recently and my ex was like "wait is that.... sexy Gary Oldman??” – dragonflyzmaximize
• I’m (mostly) lesbian but Gary Oldman as Dracula at his first meeting of Mina WAS panty-dropping – Pan_Fluid_Boo
• Gary does not belong in that list. – idntknww
• As an Oldwoman myself, I can assure you that Sir Gary is still Hotasf--kman. – JessicaGriffin
• Seriously, we’re calling Gary Oldman ugly nowadays? – Hoppy-Poppy17
• I’m so confused, I thought he was super hot in Prisoner of Azkaban. – Late-Summer-1208

As for Walton Goggins, who blew up after his roles on The White Lotus and Fallout, plenty of fans said the Redditor was out of their mind for including him on the “not hot” list, writing:

• Women are drooling over Walton Goggins in the Fallout show and he doesn’t even have a nose in that one. – Misplacedwaffle
• Frankly that show [Fallout] is dare I say the hottest he’s ever been. He just oozes charisma – DowntownAd9720
• Goggins’ appeal is his confidence and energy, he’s got a whole vibe. Source: my wife – lefthandtrav
• Walton Goggins has always been objectively very good looking I don’t know what the hell he is doing here. – ValToolTime

Even Alan Tudyk’s inclusion got people fired up, inspiring comments like FigureUnusual4439’s “Would smash,” and catchyerselfon asking if the OP had even seen the Firefly actor’s “large semi-muscular physique.” One Redditor said the post was so misguided that others should have been consulted first:

Look, the sexy rat boyfriend is a real thing, guys. Timothée Chalamet is talking about marrying Kylie Jenner, and Pete Davidson just had a baby with model girlfriend Elsie Hewitt, for crying out loud.

There are a lot of classically beautiful men in Hollywood, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that. But attractiveness is subjective, and the above fans know it goes much deeper than looks. Reddit user Impressive_Answer297 may have said it best:

If Gary Oldman, Walton Goggins, Paul Dano and the rest are involved, sign me up!

Long before The Dark Knight reshaped the new superhero movie landscape and became widely regarded as one of the best superhero movies of all time, Heath Ledger's casting as the Joker was met with widespread skepticism. Fans questioned if the actor, best known for romantic dramas and character-driven performances, could pull off one of DC’s most iconic villains. The doubt feels almost absurd looking back on it now, but at the time, it was a pretty common consensus. Well, turns out, the Brokeback Mountain lead was catching shade, although jokingly, from some of his own Dark Knight co-stars for landing the part of the clown prince of crime.

The castmate in question was David Dastmalchian, who played one of the Joker’s henchmen in Christopher Nolan’s film. In a wide-ranging interview with Collider, Dastmalchian reflected on his career in genre films and on working alongside Ledger during a pivotal moment in superhero movie history. According to the Late Night with the Devil star, when he first met the Brothers Grimm veteran performer on set, he couldn’t resist poking fun at the casting choice. He explained:

What makes the moment stand out isn’t just the honesty, but the Knight's Tale star's reaction. Rather than taking offense, he laughingly agreed, taking the jab in stride. That response speaks volumes about how seriously Ledger took the role and how aware he was of the expectations stacked against him. He didn’t approach the Joker with ego or defensiveness, but instead seemingly saw it as a career risk worth taking.

Dastmalchian’s broader comments paint the 10 Things I Hate About You actor as someone warm and intensely focused on the work. Despite being the clear centerpiece of the film, Ledger treated even smaller-role actors with kindness and curiosity, taking the time to talk and listen between takes. When it was time to perform, however, he could flip a switch (just ask Michael Caine) and entirely disappear into the character, a skill Dastmalchian described as the level of artistry he still aspires to.

It’s incredible to think about how dramatically public perception shifted once The Dark Knight arrived in theaters in 2008. Ledger’s Joker wasn’t just good but was transformative. The performance earned him a posthumous Academy Award and set a new benchmark for comic book villains, influencing everything from casting conversations to how seriously the genre is taken today.

Hearing a co-star admit he initially thought the casting was a bad idea doesn’t diminish the I'm Not There star's achievement. If anything, it underscores it. The Joker wasn’t a safe choice, and the Monster's Ball actor knew that going in. The fact that he could laugh about it and even agree with the skepticism makes the final result all the more impressive.

Nearly two decades later, Heath Ledger’s Joker remains the standard against which all others are measured. And thanks to stories like this from people who were actually there, the legend feels a little more human.

Comicbook fans can revisit the iconic Joker performance by streaming it and nearly all DC movies with an HBO Max subscription.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a giant place, thanks to the constant stream of new releases in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were thrilled when The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released and finally brought that titular team of heroes into the fray. Although Ant-Man star David Dastmalchian thinks his character Veb needs to jin the group. And he makes a solid point.

Dastmalchian has a long history in the superhero genre, including his role in The Dark Knight and The Suicide Squad (which are streaming with a HBO Max subscription). He's also played Scott Lang's buddy Kurt in the first two Ant-Man movies, before playing the oozey creature Zeb in Quantumania. In an interview with The Direct, he explained why the latter character would be useful for the Fantastic Four, offering:

Honestly, points were made. Because while H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot is the team's go-to assistant, he presumably doesn't know how to understand alien languages a la C-3PO. So if the Fantastic Four end up having more adventures in space in upcoming Marvel movies, they could use the ooze-related translation skills from Veb. Talk about an unexpected (but appropriate) crossover.

Fans waited years for the Fantastic Four to join the MCU, and Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox finally opened the door on that. First Steps did well in theaters, and that titular team has already been confirmed to return thanks to Avengers: Doomsday's cast announcement. But David Dastmalchian seems to think they could use his weird character from Ant-Man 3 on their future journeys. Although the idea of seeing Veb again in the MCU seems pretty unlikely, especially after Quantumania's box office performance.

Some fans were bummed when it was revealed that Scott Lang's buddies from X-Con Security Consultants were not going to appear in Ant-Man 3, after being scene stealers throughout the first two movies. That's what made David Dastmalchian's surprise character for Quantumania such a treat. Veb had a small but memorable role in the threequel, using his ooze to help Scott Lang understand the alien languages being spoken to him. And there are plenty of cosmic heroes who might be able to use this specific (gross) skill.

The Fantastic Four's future will be revealed when they return in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18th of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Dastmalchian, he's been keeping busy with role in Dexter: Resurrection and The Creep Tapes.

The Street Fighter franchise is getting another shot to shine in a cinematic setting following 1994’s Street Fighter and 2009’s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Over the last several months, there have been various reports and rumors about the Street Fighter reboot’s cast, and now we finally have the official lineup. Even better, this announcement was made in a wonderfully nostalgic way.

The good folks over at Paramount Pictures and Legendary Entertainment put a twist on the screen where you selected your player in 1991’s Street Fighter II, one of the most successful arcade video games of all time, to unveil which actors will be featured in the next Street Fighter movie on Instagram. See for yourself by going through the slides below:

While I wish that the accompanying music could have been added, this is nonetheless an A+ effort with announcing the Street Fighter cast in a unique way. Here’s the list of the starring actors:

• Andrew Koji as Ryu
• Noah Centineo as Ken
• Callina Liang as Chun-Li
• Cody Rhodes as Guile
• Orville Peck as Vega
• 50 Cent as Balrog
• Jason Momoa as Blanka
• Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalism
• Olivier Richters as Zangief
• Hirooki Goto as E. Hinda
• David Dastmalchian as M. Bison
• Roman Reigns as Akuma
• Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki
• Eric André as Don Sauvage
• Mel Jarnson as Cammy
• Rayna Vallandingham as Juli
• Alexander Volkanovski as Joe

As mentioned earlier, some of these individuals we already knew about. It was reported in May that Koji, Momoa, Reigns and Centineo were all in talks to join Street Fighter. Word of Peck, André, Liang, Schulz, Dastmalchian, Jammwal and Rhodes’ potential involvement followed not long after. Momoa even posted a fun Aquaman-adjacent response to Schulz when he shared that he would indeed appear in Street Fighter.

In addition to the casting announcement, we also know that Street Fighter will now punch its way into theaters on October 16, 2026. The movie was previously going to be released March 20 of the same year, back when it was still set up at Sony Pictures, but it was taken off the calendar this past March. As reported by Variety, Street Fighter will be the first release in a three-year deal that sees Paramount distributing and marketing Legendary-produced movies around the world, excluding China.

With its new slot carved out on the 2026 movies schedule, Street Fighter will compete against 20th Century Studios’ Whalefall on the same opening day, and it will follow a week after the arrival of The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. Behind the scenes, Kitao Sakurai is directing Street Fighter, and Dalan Musson reportedly wrote the latest draft of the script. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched Dexter: Resurrection’s excellent fourth episode on Showtime or via Paramount+ subscription, so be warned!

Wowzers and then some, guys. Dexter: Resurrection seemed like it was giving audiences more of a singular storyline hinging entirely on Michael C. Hall’s back-from-retirement vigilante reconnecting with his son after Harrison shot him in New Blood’s finale. (To the point where it sometimes seemed like maybe Harrison should have been the main character.) But Episode 4, “Call me Red,” brought out all the big guest stars and was a glorious reminder of how unpredictable and delightfully weird this horror-soaked universe can be.

Having taken out the horrendously named rideshare-targeting Dark Passenger in Episode 3, Dexter took on his victim’s persona and followed his invitation to meet Peter Dinklage’s hyper-rich Leon Prater ahead of his gathering of the ghouls. Which is where we meet Krysten Ritter’s Mia “Lady Vengeance” Lapierre, Eric Stonestreet’s “Rapunzel”-monikered Al, David Dastmalchian’s brooding Gareth, a.k.a. Gemini Killer, and Neil Patrick Harris’ skin-obsessed Lowell, the Tattoo Collector.

CinemaBlend talked to what is perhaps TV’s most morbid motley crew ahead of the episode, as seen in the video above, and I learned a few details about the new killers, with Michael C. Hall talking about Dexter’s growth and how wild a season this was for him.

David Dastmalchian, Eric Stonestreet And Krysten Ritter Talk Up Their Newly Introduced Serial Killers

No other shows on the 2025 TV schedule feature a cabal of killers gathered together by a serial killer-obsessed benefactor, which is probably good, because Leon Prater would likely find a way to take those other groups out of the running. He certainly has a knack for rounding up highly disturbed individuals, as normal as they may seem sitting around a dinner table.

When I asked which of these newly introduced killers was most disturbing to the new cast members, David Dastmalchian teased some extremely dark scenes on the way for Modern Family vet Eric Stonestreet, saying:

Eric Stonestreet is one of the more affable celebs out there, and often plays characters who exude those same vibes. I can't say that Al isn't a genial dude, but the fact that he's out there killing women and cutting their ponytails off as trophies doesn't exactly warrant a stamp of approval. I can't wait to see how sinister his story gets.

On the flip side of that coin, Stonestreet points to Dastmalchian's Gareth as being the creepiest. Not because it comes as a surprise, but because it's exactly what one might expect. As he put it:

While I doubt Gareth's Gemini Killer has anything to do with actual ducks, I can't help but think about him putting on a giant duck suit in order to pull off his murders. There has to be someone like that out there, right?

Krysten Ritter teased her character by glorifying how non-disturbing she found Mia to be, despite her less positive attributes, and it sounds like she had a blast in the role. In Ritter's words:

At this point, David Dastmalchian spoke up to say how happy he was to finally be sharing the screen with long-time friend Ritter in such a dark project, which she echoed just as happily.

• DAVID DASTMALCHIAN: Can I say, Kristen and I have been friends for a long time, and I've always felt like she's my goth buddy, my goth niece, my goth little sister that I always wanted to get to do something with creatively. And it was really freaking cool to get to go play and be murderers together.
• KRYSTEN RITTER: You were the first... I wasn't gonna say anything yet, but when I found out that he was doing it, I was like, 'We're gonna get to work together finally!'

Gotta love how many smiles are being shared on a show where a dude cuts people's tattoos off of their bodies.

Michael C. Hall Feels Like This Season Was A 'Bizarro, Twisted Superhero Movie'

To be expected, Michael C. Hall was just as excited to get to mix it up with such a varied group of personalities, even if he already had to take one of them out by the end of the episode. (We're really hoping this storyline doesn't run out too quickly.) When I asked if it was surreal to be standing above a guest star like Neil Patrick Harris strapped down to the kill table, the actor responded with:

When I mentioned that I wouldn't have expected Dexter to leave the flirtatious Mia as she showered just to go and find Lowell, Hall got a laugh out of me by pointing to his character's maturity level rising.

On the topic of Leon Prater's vast collection of serial killer trophies and having that be the new world that Dexter is now trying to traverse alongside Harrison's story, Michael C. Hall told me:

Now that he's mentioned superheroes, I'm wondering how Dexter would fare in the world of The Boys, and who he'd try to target first. Or what if Dexter aimed to take on Colin Farrell's Penguin? There should at least be a comic book series tackling that crossover.

Find out what Prater's serial killer club will get into next when new Dexter: Resurrection episodes hit. Paramount+ every Friday, and air on Showtime on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Fans of video games being turned into movies are eating well these days, as the medium has finally started inspiring some seriously entertaining movies. Fans of the tournament fighter genre of game are particularly looking forward to the upcoming sequel Mortal Kombat 2, but many might already be looking past that one as the casting for the Street Fighter movie is getting absolutely wild.

The upcoming Street Fighter movie has put together a cast that includes 50 Cent, multiple WWE superstars, David Dastmalchian, and Jason Momoa as Blanka. It has to be said that it’s a bit difficult to imagine what some of these people will look like in these roles. Luckily, artist BossLogic is here to give us an idea, and he’s starting to convince me on some, like WWE’s Cody Rhodes as Guile.

While I’m not entirely sold on Cody Rhodes rocking the traditional Guile haircut, which is the sort of look that works well in a heightened video game but not so much in real life, the “American Nightmare” certainly doesn’t look too bad. Of course, put any good-looking blonde guy in camo and you’re most of the way to Guile. But the look is certainly there, if one can forget how different his actual hair looks.

The same is true with 50 Cent as the boxer Balrog. The character was originally designed to be a reference to Mike Tyson, and 50 Cent certainly has the swagger and attitude required to pull off such a performance, assuming that’s what they’re going for here.

One of the more interesting casting announcements, however, is The Suicide Squad and Murderbot co-star David Dastmalchian. While he might actually one of the more well-known traditional actors in the entire cast, he’s not necessarily one's first thought to play an over-the-top villain for a fantastical action movie. That said, this version of the actor looking like M. Bison actually works, and if Raul Julia could do it, so can Dastmalchian.

Of course, not every role that we expect to be cast has been announced yet, so there is still some room for fan casting the rest of the movie. Since it does appear the Street Fighter movie is basing a lot of decisions on physical resemblance to the video game characters, then BossLogic has a pick for Sagat that’s hard to dislike, in MMA Fighter Alex Pereira

The Street Fighter movie has no current release date, and we don’t know when filming is set to start, but with casting underway, that point is probably not that far off. Pretty soon, we’ll all know exactly what these actors will look like as our favorite Street Fighter characters.

Anyone boasting an Apple TV+ subscription can speak to the streaming service’s seemingly endless supply of sci-fi offerings like Severance and Dark Matter, with the majority being extremely smart and well-crafted. So it’s perhaps no surprise that Alexander Skarsgård’s new series Murderbot quickly became one of the best Apple TV+ original series and is an absolute must-watch, even if you’re like me and have next to zero knowledge of the source material.

Based on Martha Wells’ seemingly easy-to-digest book series The Murderbot Diaries, the genre-mashing show -- one of many book-to-screen adaptations to arrive recently -- hails from co-creator siblings Chris and Paul Weitz, who are perhaps best known both together and separately for varied projects such as American Pie, About a Boy and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The brothers have proven themselves capable of jumping from comedy to drama to science fiction with ease, and Murderbot may be their magnum opus as a slice of perfect television, no matter what SecUnit is mumbling under his breath.

Murderbot's Cast Is A Perfect Blen

A TV series' greatness can often come down to the quality of its cast, and Murderbot is indeed impressive in that respect, starting with the leading actor himself, Alexander Skarsgård. The Succession and Big Little Lies vet delivers a splendid performance as an advanced (but not too advanced) security droid that hacks its system in a way that makes it more perceptible to human emotions and behavior. The role is relatively subdued role and skews more analytical than charismatic, but that's precisely why it works so well.

Let's run through everyone right quick:

• Alexander Skarsgård gives a hilariously non-comedic performance as the overly analytical SecUnit/Murderbot
• Noma Dumezweni's Mensah is a respect-worthy team leader whose scientific passion isn't upended by her strict practicality.
• David Dastmalchian delivers a nuanced performance as Gurathin, a human with augmented technology in his body.
• Sabrina Wu's legally minded scientist Pin-Lee, Akshay's maturity-lite wormhole expert Ratthi and Tattiawna Jones' biologist Arada are solid individually, but work on all cylinders in developing their shared relationship as a throuple.
• Tamara Podemski's geochemist Bharadwaj has arguably less story points than everyone else, but is still a genial voice of reason amidst the younger crew members.

The series does feature other co-stars that we'll get into below, with the biggest surprise appearance going to PEN15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle as the erxpertly named Leebeebee.

Murderbot's Action-Packed Story Is Perfect

Despite taking place on a different planet where a team of scientists is conducting research while aided by a security droid who's hacked its gornering module to become more like a human, Murderbot is surprisingly easy to jump into for anyone who thinks that plotline sounds horrifying. It may have science-fiction window dressing, but this is almost more of a philosophical action-comedy.

The hook of the series is SecUnit essentially learning how to become more human while fighting against its inherent instincts and command prompts. As he grasps the concepts of compassion, empathy, loyalty and friendship, SecUnit is also trying to keep the team safe from outside threats that crop up, and the bot's own past plays into the action-oriented mystery.

Perhaps the show's biggest advantage, at least in terms of all of its genre inspirations working in tandem, is the fact that nearly all of the episode runtimes are 25 minutes or shorter, so there's literally no fluff or wasted moments. Audiences go from hilarious character beats to tense gunfights, and just about every installment wraps on a banger of a cliffhanger that just begs to be followed by another episode.

Murderbot Itself Is A Weirdly Perfect Main Character

While I can't speak to whether this is a thing in the source material, Murderbot's live-action series feels a lot like a parable about being on the autism spectrum. SecUnit experiences several situations that can be likened to neurodivergence, from taking others' responses too literally to lacking an understanding of sarcasm and irony to being focused on personal desires instead of the mission at hand.

As a piece of machinery, SecUnit also doesn't have an inherently strong sense of humor, which in turn makes Alexander Skarsgård's inner monologues so damned funny, with so many of the character's early reactions being snippy, judgmental and dismissive. The actor has never taken on a role quite like this, and I honestly wouldn't have expected it to be such a worthwhile match. Happy to be misguided there.

Like too few shorter-form TV series these days, Murderbot actually puts its titular character through narrative growth and evolution in a way where the SecUnit present in the finale is completely different from the bot we meet in the premiere. And not in a way where any of SecUnit's neurodivergent tendencies were removed or wiped out, but in a way where he's become more acclimated to its human crew, even if the plot itself threatens to destroy everything.

The Show-Within-A-Show Sanctuary Moon? Yep, Perfect

Even though Murderbot's in-universe spacey soap opera The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon only gets around 10 minutes of on-screen footage throughout the entire season (and that might be overstating it), these heightened and objectively ridiculous sequences are a huge stepping stone for SecUnit's understand human emotions and behaviors, which is kinda like only using the cover of Cosmo as dating advice. But man oh man, it's amazing.

Star Trek vet John Cho, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Clark Gregg, 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer and Jurassic World Dominion's DeWanda Wise are all pushing their performances to a 10, making Sanctuary Moon one of the hammiest things on the 2025 TV schedule. If only the show actually existed as a real thing people could watch, even if I probably don't have time to check out ALL 397 episodes.

I am so extremely hopeful that enough people are watching Murderbot that Apple TV+ orders another 3 seasons right out the gate. If the only shows I watch in 2026 are Murderbot Season 2 and Severance Season 3, I'll still be a happy viewer.

One Piece Season 2 assembled quite a cast to play some of the colorful characters Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates will encounter in their quest on the Grand Line. David Dastmalchian was enlisted to play Mr. 3, one of the various baddies they'll meet, and while I'm psyched to see the actor in the role, his latest comments about taking props from the set gave me pause.

As we wait for official news about when we can stream the series with a Netflix subscription, the official X account posted a new featurette with Dastmalchian talking about working on the upcoming episodes and what he enjoyed most about the experience. In doing so, he revealed a big prop he got to walk away with, and I'm curious why they'd let him take Mr. 3's hair home.

David Dastmalchian Took Mr. 3's Hair From The Set

Having seen the sets of One Piece in Season 1 and the ones shown so far for Season 2, I certainly get the temptation to take a piece of it home if I worked on it. Even series creator Eiichiro Oda was in awe of the work the Netflix team put in, so it's no surprise that someone would take a prop if offered. David Dastmalchian took that opportunity and talked about why he chose to take Mr. 3's hair:

I would run around all day purchasing three of everything just to point to the wig, but am I the only one scratching my head about this? I guess this question is pointed more toward the One Piece viewers who read the manga or watch the anime, because we know Mr. 3 will return to the story in the future.

Mr. 3 Eventually Returns To One Piece, So Why Did They Let Him Take The Wig?

Those familiar with One Piece outside of the live-action series probably know that Mr. 3 comes into the story later, most notably in the Impel Down and Marineford story arcs. While those stories are presumably seasons way down the road for this adaptation, one has to wonder why they'd let him take the wig shaped like the number three unless maybe they didn't expect him to return to the role.

We've written before on CinemaBlend about how long One Piece is and how unlikely it would be that the Netflix series ever completes, even if it was the most popular series on the platform. Still, with the rumors that Xolo Maridueña was cast to play Luffy's brother Ace, I assumed there was a goal to at least conclude the series with the Marineford storyline.

Now, with David Dastmalchian gone with the wig, and Mr. 3 playing such a big role in Marineford, I'm wondering if the show creators know the series doesn't stand a great chance of making it there, so it's not a big deal if Mr. 3's elaborate wig stays at the actor's house. Of course, I recognize I may also be overreacting as there are other explanations for this I can list off:

• There's more than one Mr. 3 wig.
• Mr. 3 is written out of the live-action adaptation.
• The makeup crew isn't worried about making another wig.

It's possible I'm overreacting, but I still think it's worth clocking as we wait for news about the series' return and wonder if the show will even last long enough to bring the entire Straw Hat crew together. The good news is that the anime is coming back soon, and those ready to watch 1100+ episodes can watch to their hearts' delight while they wait for the live-action series.

It's looking more likely than not that Netflix's One Piece won't return until 2026. Here's hoping it won't be any later than that because this adaptation has a lot of content it needs to get through.

Plenty of upcoming 2025 TV shows can show off having great casts, but which franchise can boast two star-studded lineups across two different timelines centering on the same titular character? That tricky distinction is best exemplified by Showtime’s Dexter series, which concluded its prequel series Original Sin in a theory-sparking way in February, just a few months before the impending spinoff Dexter: Resurrection premieres. The latter started filming in January, and there’s been no end to the exciting cast reveals.

While major details are still somewhat scarce, we know that Resurrection will center on the killer-killing vigilante at some point after he was killed off in New Blood and then brought back to life in Original Sin’s premiere. And we also know that this may well be the most impressive ensemble cast yet to join Michael C. Hall in the world, although it’s technically impossible to beat Original Sin’s mirror images of the O.G. cast.

Check out all the big names who have signed on for the new spinoff since it was first announced, starting with new recruits and ending with the few known returning stars. (Note that while Jennifer Carpenter addressed her potential to return, she currently isn’t within this lineup.)

Eric Stonestreet - "Al"

• The Modern Family and Santa Clauses vet is reportedly set to appear in four episodes.
• He'll portray a midwesterner named Al who is believed to be one of the serial killers that the namesake vigilante will be tracking down.

Krysten Ritter - "Mia"

• Jessica Jones vet Krysten Ritter joins Dexter: Resurrection in a guest-star capacity as a character named Mia Lapierre, who is rumored to be a well-respected sommelier that may
• It's unknown how many episodes "Mia" will be featured in, but she's also believed to be a potential serial killer who catches Dexter's eye.

Neil Patrick Harris - "Lowell"

• Following the cancellation of his comedy Uncoupled, whose second season was initially picked up by Showtime before the 2023 strikes messed those plans up, Neil Patrick Harris is indeed teaming up with Showtime for this guest-starring spot on Dexter: Resurrection.
• Harris will be portraying a character named Lowell, and little else is known about the role, though set photos revealed the actor will be rocking a rather different hairstyle in the horror-thriller.

Steve Schirripa - "Vinny"

• Sopranos and Blue Bloods vet Steve Schirripa doesn't factor into a ton of TV horror, but he'll be making his mark on the Dexter-verse in a recurring capacity.
• Schirripa will portray a character named Vinny, who will apparently be a greed-mongering landlord of a less than reputable living establishment.

David Dastmalchian - "Gareth"

• Late Night with the Devil and Oppenheimer vet David Dastmalchian is no stranger to horror and genre projects, so it's no surprise he's joining this franchise in a guest-starring capacity.
• Unfortunately, beyond the "guest star" distinction and the lone character moniker "Gareth," nothing else is known about what to expect from Dastmalchian's character.

• Fans have waited ages to see Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage's debut as Toxic Avenger, but we'll have to settle for his next TV role as a series regular in Dexter: Resurrection.
• Dinklage will star as a billionaire venture capitalist named Leon Prater, whose publicly philanthropic nature is buttressed by darker interests and urgest.

Uma Thurman - "Charley"

• The first additional cast member to be announced for Dexter: Resurrection alongside Michael C. Hall, esteemed Hollywood icon Uma Thurman landed what is arguably her biggest TV role yet as a series regular within this universe.
• Thurman will portray a polished and dependable character named Charley, who serves as the Head of Security for Peter Dinklage's billionaire Leon Prater, after having previously taken on a variety of upper-level security positions.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine - "Blessing Kamara"

• The Lincoln Lawyer vet Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is set as the series regular named Blessing Kamara, a driver for a rideshare company. He's an extremely positive guy who is dedicated to both his family and his local community, which will either be a good thing or a bad thing for Dexter.

Kadia Saraf - “Claudette Wallace"

• Kadia Saraf, who has portrayed Attorney Anya Avital in both Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime, will play NYPD Detective Claudette Wallace, who has a reputation for being rigidly methodical and sharp as a tack.

Dominic Fumusa - "Melvin Oliva"

• Best known for Nurse Jackie and Godfather of Harlem, Dominic Fumusa is joining Dexter: Resurrection as fellow NYPD Detective Melvin Olivia, who seems to be the only investigator who totally understands his partner Claudette.

Emilia Suárez - "Elsa Rivera"

• Musician and Up Here co-star Emilia Suárez is set to play the confident and outgoing Elsa Rivera, a workplace buddy of Harrison Morgan's at the Empire Hotel.

Returning Stars From The Dexter-Verse

• Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan
• James Remar as Dexter's late father Harry Morgan
• Jack Alcott as Dexter's son Harrison Morgan
• David Zayas as Angel Batista
• David Madigoff as Iron Lake PD's Teddy Reed (from Dexter: New Blood)

Dexter: Resurrection is currently in production, which kicked off in January, and the eventual goal is for the spinoff to debut on Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime in Summer 2025.

The continued uncertainty surrounding James Bond 26 leaves a lot to the imagination, especially when we don’t know who’s going to play the new 007. However, I’m not here to talk about that usual mill of speculation today, as I want to dig into something else that every good Bond movie needs: a villain. As you’d expect, there are a lot of betting odds covering this subject, and quite a few of the candidates involved remind me of a point I’ve made when it comes to something I really want to happen in Bond 26.

Bond 26’s Villain Odds Have A Lot Of Promising Choices

Online betting site BetOnline have quite a few fields one can monitor the odds on, which includes a roster of hopeful actors to play Commander Bond himself. Also, if anyone wants to check how our previously reported Bond Girl odds are faring, you’ll be surprised to see who is on the list, especially since supposed front runners Sydney Sweeney and Margaret Qualley are not.

Shifting to another big surprise, this is one of the first times I can think of where someone’s paid any attention to trying to cast Bond 26’s villain. As you’ll see listed below, a couple Bond veterans are in the mix, in addition to some dark horse candidates.

But the top three choices below are rather golden, if we’re sticking to the traditional mold. Feel free to read along and agree/disagree:

1. Cillian Murphy: +500 (16.67%)
2. Paul Giamatti: +600 (14.29%)
3. David Dastmalchian: +700 (12.5%)
4. Giancarlo Esposito / Helena Bonham Carter / Zendaya: +800 (11.11%)
5. Robert De Niro / Jack Black / Willem Defoe / Mads Mikkelsen / Kevin Bacon / Emma Stone / Hugh Jackman: +1200 (7.69%)
6. Samuel L Jackson / Gary Oldman/ Margot Robbie: +1400 (6.67%)
7. Christopher Walken / Hugh Grant / Denzel Washington / Keanu Reeves / Jared Leto / Jeremy Irons: +1600 (5.88%)
8. Sean Bean / Jennifer Lawrence / Scarlett Johansson / Emily Blunt / Chris Smalls: +2000 (4.76%)
9. Ralph Fiennes / John Malkovich / Tim Roth: +2500 (3.85%)
10. Tom Brady / Adam Sandler: +3300 (2.94%)

If Cillian Murphy, Paul Giamatti or David Dastmalchian were cast as the villain for the next James Bond movie, I’d be set to accept that, for sure. A trio of versatile actors we’ve seen do pretty much anything, those aren’t gambles at all. But if we’re going to kickstart 007 in the Amazon-MGM Studios era of creative control, it’s time to break out a move that evolves one of my favorite Bond villains of the past.

I Still Think Bond 26 Needs To Have A Female Villain

25 years after The World is Not Enough pulled the rug out from under us with Sophie Marceau’s Elektra King, I’m shocked we haven’t seen a full-on female Bond villain. While she definitely counts towards the history of female antagonists in the series, that reveal came after most of that entry in Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond era had led us to believe that Renard (Robert Carlyle) was the one running the show.

While I know that comments on James Bond’s “reinvention” came from former producer Barbara Broccoli, that remark applies even more going forward. Whomever gets the gig to make Bond 26 is clearly going to have feelings on this matter, but I honestly believe that we’re long overdue for a woman that can be 007’s ultimate challenge of duty.

And should any one from Amazon-MGM’s Bond team be reading, I’ve previously plead my case for why Lady Gaga should be a Bond villain. Although if we're going to work off of the list above, put me down for Team Emily Blunt. Should you disagree, there's no need to worry. We seem to have all the time in the world to discuss this, as Bond 26 is still pretty far off.

Even though One Piece Season 2 was officially ordered just a few weeks after Season 1 premiered to Netflix subscription holders last year, it wasn’t until this past June that casting news started coming in. One of the first people to be announced was Marvel star David Dastmalchian, who will play Baroque Works member Mr. 3. Along with having the ability to create and manipulate candle wax thanks to eating the Wax-Wax Fruit, Mr. 3 has an unusually distinctive look, particularly with the hair style you seen above. However, Dastmalchian has shared a different aspect of his character’s appearance he’s “super curious” to learn about, and that in turn has me more intrigued about how he’ll handed in the next season of the live-action One Piece.

Dastmalchian spent some time talking about One Piece in a conversation with Nerdist, which included him describing Mr. 3, a.k.a. Galdino, as “so unique and such a fantastically interesting odd character,” and how he’ll be pulling from both his horror background and theater background to bring the character to life. When asked if he could talk about how Mr. 3’s hairstyle will be realized in live action, the actor said:

That hairstyle is still my chief concern, because in a live-action adaptation where characters like Buggy the Clown and Arlong were brought to life, the idea of a guy running around with his hair shared like a 3 somehow seems less plausible, especially when factoring in how it catches on fire when using his powers. Still, I can understand why David Dastmalchian would be wondering about the eyewear, and I hope the Netflix show’s crew tries to replicate Mr. 3’s original glasses as closely as possible rather than make something that looks completely different. As for Dastmalchian’s arms, I’m confident they’ll look just fine when we see him as Mr. 3, although it’s not as though the character needs to look well-toned.

Other newcomers joining David Dastmalchian in One Piece Season 2 include Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha, Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra and Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0, a.k.a. Mr. Crocodile, the leader of Baroque Works, among many others. Although the second season won’t end up reaching the main Alabasta arc, it will chronicle the Little Garden arc, which will given plenty of time for Mr. 3 to shine. And depending on how long Netflix’s One Piece ends up running, Dastmalchian will have a lot more to do on the show later down the (Grand) line.

As we await more details on One Piece Season 2, including when it will premiere, feel free to look over the other best shows on Netflix to keep yourself entertained. For your non-Netflix viewing inquiries, consult our 2024 TV schedule.

Netflix's One Piece Season 2 is on the way, and amidst speculation that the show might be adding another Straw Hat crew member early, more characters we know are being announced as part of the growing cast. As the Straw Hats enter the Grand Line and genuinely begin their journey as a crew, the live-action adaptation has revealed Marvel alum David Dastmalchian will play Mr. 3, with other new actors also cast as part of the threatening Baroque Works.

The Baroque Works pirates are one of the first fearsome groups the Straw Hats come across, and assuming it plays out like the anime, it will bring Luffy face-to-face with the first Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile. I'm stoked to stream this season with a Netflix subscription when it arrives, and others should be as well now that Ant-Man's Dastmalchian is in the mix.

David Dastmalchian Will Play Mr. 3 As Other Actors Join Baroque Works

As One Piece fans call for Danny DeVito to join the show, with Jamie Lee Curtis actively expressing her interest in appearing, it's no small feat that the series landed a talent like David Dastmalchian. The veteran actor has taken on roles for Marvel and DC movies, and is coming off his acclaimed starring role in the twisty horror Late Night With The Devil. Now, he's coming into One Piece to play the wild Mr. 3, which we'll talk more about shortly.

He wasn't the only casting the official account noted, as more actors were noted to be playing Baroque Works pirates, including:

• Jazzara Jaslyn (Lioness) - Miss Valentine
• Camrus Johnson (Batwoman) - Mr. 5
• Daniel Lasker (Raised by Wolves) - Mr. 9

These are all exciting castings, to be sure, but I can't help but be thrilled by David Dastmalchian bringing his star power to Mr. 3. There's a big reason I'm hyped to see Mr. 3 get such a strong actor behind it, too, even if it may take some time for the character to settle in.

David Dastmalchian Is A Big Actor To Play A Prominent One Piece Character

In the One Piece anime, Mr. 3 is presented as a threatening member of the Baroque Works who uses his wax powers to give the Straw Hats a taste of what it's like to be up against another Devil Fruit user. Ultimately, they're able to best him and move on with their journey, but Mr. 3 continues to pop up throughout the anime in different adventures.

The fact that One Piece decided to go with a veteran actor like David Dastmalchian has me optimistic that the creative team hopes to use him again in the future for other adventures. Assuming things play out like the anime — and there is a chance they won't, given the key differences between it and the live-action — Mr. 3 played a prominent part in the Impel Down and Marineford arcs, which the live-action is still a long ways away from adapting. Still, the idea that Netflix could be interested in going that distance is exciting, and I hope Mr. 3's casting proves the show feels optimistic about how big things can get from here.

We're still waiting to hear more about when One Piece Season 2 will arrive in 2025. Until then, the 2024 TV schedule has a lot of shows worth watching that should tide readers over until their favorite anime adaptation is back on Netflix.

David Dastmalchian's star power continues to rise with each role he plays, including his appearance in some of the best superhero movies in recent memory. He has also lent his versatile talents to a few popular TV shows, in main or notable recurring roles, and we have compiled our choices for his greatest hits below. The following are some of the best David Dastmalchian movies and TV shows, including a tip on how you can watch them.

Late Night With The Devil (2024)

Director: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes

Starring: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon

What it's about: Hoping to boost his ratings, a late night TV host invites a young woman who has supposedly been possessed by a demon as a guest on his talk show's Halloween special.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Framed as a lost, infamous 1977 TV broadcast, the creepy, inventive Late Night with the Devil — also available with a Shudder subscription — solidifies Dastmalchian as a modern horror movie icon with his thoroughly compelling performance as Night Owls host Jack Delroy.

How to watch Late Night with the Devil

• Stream Late Night with the Devil on AMC+
• Stream Late Night with the Devil on Hulu
• Rent or buy Late Night with Devil on Amazon
• Buy Late Night with Devil on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Dark Knight (2008)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger

What it's about: Bruce Wayne struggles to protect Gotham City from a dangerously unpredictable and insane master criminal known as The Joker.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: The moment that introduced the world to David Dastmalchian was when Christopher Nolan changed his life by casting him in The Dark Knight — one of the most beloved live-action Batman movies — as former Arkham patient, Thomas Schiff.

How to watch The Dark Knight

• Stream The Dark Knight on Max
• Rent or buy The Dark Knight on Amazon
• Buy The Dark Knight on Blu-ray on Amazon

Prisoners (2013)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal

What it's about: A family man goes to desperate lengths to find his missing daughter as a local detective struggles with the case.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Dastmalchian received much acclaim for his small, but pivotal role as a child murder suspect in the mesmerizing, harrowing mystery drama, Prisoners, which has a gripping ending.

How to watch Prisoners

• Stream Prisoners on Max
• Rent or buy Prisoners on Amazon
• Buy Prisoners on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Ant-Man Movies (2015-2023)

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily

What they are about: Reformed burglar Scott Lang uses a special suit that alters his size and strength to fight crime.

Why they are some of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Dastmalchian joined the club of actors who have played multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe characters with his dual roles in the Ant-Man movies — Kurt Goreshter from Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and a strange creature named Veb from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

How to watch the Ant-Man movies

MacGyver (2016-2021)

Starring: Lucas Till

What it's about: A government agent uses his unique problem-solving skills to help get out of sticky situations on missions.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian TV shows: Dastmalchian appeared in 11 episodes of CBS’ modern reimagining of the hit action/adventure series, MacGyver, in the recurring role of Mac's nemesis, a fearsome assassin named Murdoc.

How to watch MacGyver

• Stream MacGyver on Paramount+
• Stream MacGyver on Amazon Prime for free
• Buy MacGyver on DVD on Amazon

The Belko Experiment (2017)

Director: Greg McLean

Starring: John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona

What it's about: A large group of office employees locked inside their corporate building is forced into a deadly social experiment that requires them to turn on one another and become the sole survivor.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: One of Dastmalchian’s first major horror movies and his first collaboration with writer James Gunn is the highly intense The Belko Experiment, in which he plays an office maintenance worker named Lonny.

How to watch The Belko Experiment

• Stream The Belko Experiment on Tubi
• Stream The Belko Experiment on Pluto TV
• Rent or buy The Belko Experiment on Amazon
• Buy The Belko Experiment on Blu-ray on Amazon

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford

What it's about: In a futuristic Los Angeles, a cop who specializes in hunting artificially created humans is assigned to an astonishing case that leads him to enlist the help of a long-missing veteran.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Dastmalchian had a small role in Blade Runner 2049 — the stunning sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi movie classic — as an LAPD lab technician named Coco.

How to watch Blade Runner 2049

• Rent or buy Blade Runner 2049 on Amazon
• Buy Blade Runner 2049 on Blu-ray on Amazon

Reprisal (2019)

Starring: Abigail Spencer, David Dastmalchian

What it's about: After her own brother leaves her for dead, a woman infiltrates his criminal gang to bring it down from the inside.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian TV shows: Dastmalchian’s talents for playing quiet, stoic characters perfectly suits his role as Johnson in Reprisal — a noir-inspired miniseries from creator Josh Corbin that was originally exclusive to Hulu.

How to watch Reprisal

• Buy Reprisal on Amazon

Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)

Director: Chris Palmer

Starring: Jensen Ackles

What it's about: Over the course of a year, Bruce Wayne investigates a series of murders that each take place on a different holiday.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Years after The Dark Knight, David Dastmalchian would lend his voice to another Arkham inmate — in this case Calendar Man — in the animated two-part adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s brilliant, tragic graphic novel, Batman: The Long Halloween.

How to watch Batman: The Long Halloween

• Buy Batman: The Long Halloween on Amazon
• Buy Batman: The Long Halloween on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Director: James Gunn

Starring: Harley Quinn, Idris Elba, John Cena, Viola Davis

What it's about: A mostly new crew of criminals — save Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, for one — are recruited by Amanda Waller to carry out a dangerous mission.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Dastmalchian’s second collaboration with James Gunn was the filmmaker’s own Task Force X-led story, The Suicide Squad, which saw him take on the role of eccentric DC villain, Polka-Dot Man.

How to watch The Suicide Squad

• Stream The Suicide Squad on Max
• Rent or buy The Suicide Squad on Amazon
• Buy The Suicide Squad on Blu-ray on Amazon

Dune (2021)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson

What it's about: A war over the most valuable resource in the galaxy leads to tragic circumstances for a royal family after moving to a desert planet.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Dastmalchian was bummed to miss out on appearing in Dune: Part Two after appearing in the first half of Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of author Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel as Baron Harkonnen’s devious servant, Piter de Vries.

How to watch Dune

• Stream Dune on Max
• Rent or buy Dune on Amazon
• Buy Dune on Blu-ray on Amazon

Boston Strangler (2023)

Director: Matt Ruskin

Starring: Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, David Dastmalchian

What it's about: Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole struggle with misogynist adversity while investigating a series of brutal murders in 1960s Massachusetts.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Dastmalchian gives one of the most chilling performances in Hulu’s Boston Strangler cast as Albert DeSalvo, who was one of the prime individuals suspected of being the notorious serial killer.

How to watch Boston Strangler

• Stream Boston Strangler on Hulu

The Boogeyman (2023)

Director: Matt Ruskin

Starring: Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, Vivien Lyra Blair

What it's about: A teenage girl and her younger sister suspect that a sinister, otherworldly presence is haunting their home.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: In director Rob Savage’s adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, The Boogeyman, Dastmalchian has a brief, but pivotal role of a man who had his own tragic experience with the titular creature before it starts coming for our protagonists.

How to watch The Boogeyman

• Stream The Boogeyman on Tubi
• Rent or buy The Boogeyman on Amazon
• Buy The Boogeyman on Blu-ray on Amazon

Oppenheimer (2023)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr.

What it's about: Renowned physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is asked by the United States government to help end World War II by leading the development of the atomic bomb.

Why it is one of the best David Dastmalchian movies: Years after The Dark Knight, Dastmalchian would reunite with Christopher Nolan by appearing in the Oppenheimer cast as executive director of the United States Congress Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, William L. Borden.

How to watch Oppenheimer

• Stream Oppenheimer on Amazon Prime
• Buy Oppenheimer on Blu-ray on Amazon

There are more David Dastmalchian movies and TV shows where these came from. Keep an eye out for more of his upcoming horror movies, such as Mike Flanagan’s latest Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains massive spoilers for Late Night With The Devil. If you have not seen the film yet, proceed at your own risk!

As depicted in the film Late Night With The Devil, TV host Jack Delroy had one hell of a night on October 31, 1977. He acted in desperation trying to save his struggling show from cancellation, and what transpired sent him into a spiraling nightmare. The question remains, however: did Jack believe in the supernatural prior to the horrific events of that evening? According to star David Dastmalchian, he at the very least wanted to.

I posed the aforementioned spoiler-y question to the actor when I interviewed him about his work on Late Night With The Devil earlier this month – as captured in the video at the top of this article. He doesn’t think that Jack Delroy was sure about the existence of the supernatural prior to his fateful Halloween broadcast, but it’s more accurate to say that he shared an outlook with Fox Mulder from The X-Files:

I think it’s safe to say that witnessing first-hand what Lilly D'Abo (Ingrid Torelli) could do perfectly demonstrated to Jack Delroy that evil was real, but not to be ignored in this discussion are the mysterious activities in which he participated as a member of the secret society known as The Grove. There is clearly some manipulation of the supernatural going on there along with the satanic cult to which Lilly belonged – which is ultimately linked to the death of Jack’s wife, Madeline (Georgina Haig).

Late Night With The Devil is certainly a movie that demands rewatch once you know how all the action unfolds and the different pieces fit together. Written and directed by sibling duo Colin and Cameron Cairnes, the film rode a huge wave of buzz into theaters thanks in part to a stamp of approval from horror legend Stephen King, and it arrived in sixth place at the box office this past weekend. It’s now playing in locations around the country thanks to IFC Films, and it will be available to stream with a Shudder subscription at an unknown date in the future.

Are you excited for Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck yet? The movie is the third Stephen King adaptation from the filmmaker, and he has assembled a phenomenal cast to bring to life one of the author’s best recent novellas. There’s a lot to be hyped about with the project, and star Karen Gillan’s recent comments about the film only further raises expectations.

That’s just one story featured in this latest edition of The King Beat – alongside a bit from my interview with Late Night With The Devil star David Dastmalchian and a reflection on Lawrence Kasdan’s Dreamcatcher – so let’s dig in!

Karen Gillan Has Seen Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck, And It Left Her Emotionally Rocked

Mike Flanagan’s upcoming film The Life Of Chuck promises to be a completely different experience than the writer/director’s two previous Stephen King adaptations. While Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep are movies filled with tension and horror, the latest feature is going to be more of a meditative drama and has been compared by star Tom Hiddleston to Frank Darabont’s beloved The Shawshank Redemption. I imagine that there isn’t a King fan alive who isn’t over the moon with excitement about the feature – and Karen Gillan’s latest comments about it have only further fueled anticipation.

The Scottish actress last worked with Mike Flanagan a full decade ago (their film Oculus will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of its theatrical release next month), and she spoke about her latest collaboration with the filmmaker during a recent interview with Collider. In addition to noting that Flanagan hasn’t changed a great deal over the years, Gillan revealed that she has seen a very early version of The Life Of Chuck and that it apparently left her deeply emotionally affected. Said the Guardians of the Galaxy star,

The Life Of Chuck is based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, which was first published in the 2020 collection If It Bleeds. As written by King, the story plays out in three sections that take place in reverse chronological order and it explores both the internal and external existence of the titular Charles “Chuck” Krantz, who we first meet as he is dying from a brain tumor at the age of 39. It’s a somber tale about how life is both wondrous and fleeting, and Mike Flanagan has apparently captured the energy of the story in a moving way.

Because The Life Of Chuck has an unconditional structure, it’s not totally clear how Mike Flanagan plans to approach the story, but Karen Gillan added that the powerful themes from the novella all remain intact from the source material:

In addition to Karen Gillan and the aforementioned Tom Hiddleston, the excellent cast of Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck also includes Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jacob Tremblay, Annalise Basso, Matt Biedel, Rahul Kohli, Heather Langenkamp, Carl Lumbly, Matthew Lillard, and more. The film completed production in Alabama last fall, and while it doesn’t have a distributor lined up yet (as far as we know), we can keep fingers tightly crossed that the feature will get a theatrical and/or streaming release before the end of the year.

‘That Was A Moment I’ll Never Forget’: David Dastmalchian Recalls Getting Stephen King’s Reaction To Late Night With The Devil

About one year ago, Stephen King got an early look at the new film Late Night With The Devil (following its premiere at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival), and it blew him away. Taking to his personal Twitter account post-screening, he declared that the movie is “absolutely brilliant” and he urged his followers to “watch it when you can.” That’s obviously high praise coming from a pop culture icon – and one person who is still trying to wrap his mind around the complement is Late Night With The Devil star David Dastmalchian.

A little more than 12 months after its premiere, Late Night With The Devil will be getting a theatrical release this week, and I had the pleasure of digging into the film earlier this month in an interview with Dastmalchian. As captured in the video above, I took time during our conversation to specifically ask about Stephen King’s Tweet, and he distinctly recalled exactly where he was and who he was with when he first saw the author’s shared thoughts:

It should go without saying that a stamp of approval from Stephen King means a hell of a lot for a tiny independent film like Late Night With The Devil, but the social media review also clearly meant a lot to David Dastmalchian personally. While the actor is probably best known for his impressive widespread presence in the DC multiverse, he is also a passionate horror fan who is presently ingratiating himself deeper in the world of King. Last year, he had a key supporting role in Rob Savage’s The Boogeyman, he is part of the ensemble in Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck, and he is currently working on a secret King adaptation.

Dastmalchian added that he has long been passionate about Late Night With The Devil, but getting affirmation of its quality from a legend like Stephen King has made him even prouder of his collaboration with writer/director siblings Cameron and Colin Cairnes, saying.

Set up as a unique kind of found footage film, Late Night With The Devil centers on the fictional talk show Night Owls With Jack Delroy and chronicles a notorious live broadcast from Halloween night in 1977. With ratings down and his show on the verge of cancelation, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) tries to take a big swing by hosting a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon) and the subject of her new book (Ingrid Torelli) as guests on the program – but the attempt at digging into their supernatural story ends up having horrifying consequences.

IFC Films has picked up the film for distribution, and Late Night With The Devil will be in theaters this Friday, March 22. It will also eventually be made available to watch with a Shudder subscription, but a streaming date has not yet been announced.

As Lawrence Kasdan’s Dreamcatcher Turns 21, It Can Be Said Time Will Not Improve The 2003 Box Office Disaster

Castle Rock Entertainment is responsible for some of the best Stephen King movies of all time. Co-founded by Rob Reiner and taking its name from the setting of the coming-of-age classic Stand By Me (based on King’s novella “The Body”), the company has produced excellent adaptations including Misery, Needful Things, The Shawshank Redemption, Dolores Claiborne and The Green Mile. In the 1990s, the shingle’s record with King projects was incredible… but it still remains hard to totally shake off the terribleness of Castle Rock’s last King project: the disastrous 2003 blockbuster based on the novel Dreamcatcher.

It was 21 years ago today that the film was released in theaters domestically, and its legacy is as one of the most notorious Stephen King adaptations. The alien invasion thriller was made with a substantial budget ($68 million, per The Numbers) and it sports an outstanding supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, and Timothy Olyphant, but it was torn apart by critics upon its release and ultimately a box office flop that only managed to make $75.7 million worldwide.

To be fair, the whole endeavor started at a disadvantage because of one simple fact: Dreamcatcher is not a good book. It was a novel that Stephen King wrote in the aftermath of the June 1999 roadside accident that nearly killed him, and he did so while both in extreme pain and while “pretty stoned” taking doses of OxyContin. It has its charms, but it’s messy and rambling – and the adaptation doesn’t provide any fixes to its problems. It can be said that both the source material and the movie start well, featuring a group of old friends bonding on a trip together in the aftermath of a big personal scare, but once the extraterrestrials show up, the entire thing quickly goes downhill.

I can’t personally recommend it, but if you want to revisit Dreamcatcher to “celebrate” its anniversary, it isn’t presently streaming, but it is available for digital purchase from online retailers and is easy to find on Blu-ray for an affordable price.

Recommendation Of The Week: “1408”

Like Dreamcatcher, another Stephen King title celebrating an anniversary this week is Everything’s Eventual – the short story collection that first arrived in bookstores on March 19, 2002. With 14 fantastic tales, including the Roland Deschain-centric novella “The Little Sisters Of Eluria” and the locked in horror of “Autopsy Room Four,” it’s one of my favorite King omnibuses, but my favorite entry from it is the exceptionally unsettling “1408.”

When it comes to haunted hotels, Stephen King will forever be remembered for The Overlook in The Shining, but not to be undersold is the Dolphin Hotel and its most notorious room, as introduced in the short story. In “1408,” a supernatural debunker named Mike Enslin checks into the New York establishment with the hopes of writing about it for his latest book, but his well-engrained confidence that hauntings aren’t real proves to be dangerously wrong. Things seem off from the very first moment that he steps in the titular room, and it doesn’t take long before the protagonist finds himself trapped in a nightmare that will ultimately scar him forever.

That brings this week’s edition of The King Beat to a close, but be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend every Thursday for my latest column. Meanwhile, you can learn about all of the King adaptations presently in the works with our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide and discover the full history of big and small screen adaptations via my Adapting Stephen King series.

In the last two decades, David Dastmalchian has done a wonderful job establishing himself within the ever-expanding DC multiverse. Fans will first remember seeing him playing one of The Joker’s henchmen in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and while he has established extreme genre cred generally in in the years since then (from Dune to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Stephen King movies), DC movies and TV have been a big part of his filmography. He was on multiple episodes of both Gotham and The Flash, voiced Calendar Man in the two-part animated feature Batman: The Long Halloween, and most recently played Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad.

Unfortunately, it has not yet been announced whether or not he will end up being a part of what co-CEOS James Gunn and Peter Safran are presently building with the blossoming DC Universe… but the actor is excited regardless for what the filmmakers are planning with the future of the franchise.

David Dastmalchian’s latest movie, the wonderfully creepy Late Night With The Devil, is set to be released in theaters later this month, and when I spoke with him about the new film earlier this month, I made time at the end of the interview to ask about his status with DC. He told me that he hasn’t yet heard from James Gunn about a part in the DCU, but he is thrilled that the filmmaker is both holding the reigns of the brand and making the now-in-production Superman. Said Dastmalchian,

Not only does David Dastmalchian have history with James Gunn via the aforementioned The Suicide Squad, the two men also had a chance to collaborate back in the mid-2010s on the indie horror film The Belko Experiment (Gunn wrote and produced and Dastmalchian has a supporting role). The actor spoke to his personal affection for the co-CEO of DC Studios, saying,

Anyone who has seen James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies and The Suicide Squad knows that he is a brilliant filmmaker who is beyond passionate about comic books and genre storytelling. His work on Superman already has buzz thanks to the tremendous talent that has been lined up to star, and the whole slate of upcoming DC movies looks like it could be filled with treasures.

As for David Dastmalchian, there are perhaps hundreds of characters that the talented actor could do justice to (no pun intended), and given his history both in DC projects and with Gunn, his involvement with the DCU at some point feels inevitable. It could be fun to see him play an alternate version of Abner Krill a.k.a. Polka-Dot Man (the one in The Suicide Squad having been crushed and killed by Starro), but it feels too limiting to suggest a part he’s already played.

We here at CinemaBlend certainly anticipate the day that a perfect role is found for him in the DC Universe, but until that news comes, fans can simply enjoy all of his previous contributions to the franchise. As noted, audiences will also be able to see his next film very soon, as Late Night With The Devil will be arriving in theaters on March 22. Be sure to stay tuned here on the site for more from my conversation with David Dastmalchian in the coming weeks.

David Dastmalchian dies a lot in movies. He’s been killed by Dracula, The Boogeyman, Starro, and a replicant, and he’s been impaled, crushed, hung, stabbed, and shot. It’s something that the actor is clearly used to at this point in his career… but even with that experience, he hasn’t missed out on a heaping dose of FOMO (fear of missing out) amid the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.

Those who watched Dune: Part One will remember that Dastmalchian portrayed Piter de Vries – the Mentat for Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who is killed when Duke Leto Atreides tries to assassinate the leader of House Harkonnen with a poison gas capsule embedded in his tooth. Because Piter died, the actor didn’t have a part to play in the sequel, and when I recently spoke with him, he explained how he’s feeling amid the blockbuster’s massive theatrical release:

David Dastmalchian’s newest movie, Late Night With The Devil, is arriving in theaters later this month, but when I got to speak with him late last week on the eve of Dune: Part Two arriving in theaters, I felt compelled to ask about his time on Arrakis. He has some conflicted feelings, but it has little to do with the fact that he’s not in the critically acclaimed sequel/part of the outstanding ensemble cast. Instead, he wishes that he could be with writer/director Denis Villeneuve as his incredible achievement is celebrated around the globe.

In addition to Dune: Part One, Dastmalchian previously worked with Villeneuve on both Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049… and the character he plays dies in all of them (it’s a run reminiscent of Steve Buscemi’s time in Joel and Ethan Coen movies in the 1990s). He may not be in the French-Canadian filmmaker’s latest work, but the actor is immensely proud of everything that he has accomplished in bringing Frank Herbert’s beloved novel to the big screen. He continued,

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interview with David Dastmalchian as we get closer to the release of Late Night With The Devil, which will be arriving in theaters on March 22. Meanwhile, you can Dune: Part Two in cinemas everywhere right now, as the film just had the biggest box office opening of 2024 this past weekend.

If you need any more reason to be excited by the fact that Mike Flanagan is adapting The Dark Tower, I recommend that you check out his comments on the scene that he is most excited to bring to life (spoiler alert: it’s a scene from late in the series that brought him to tears). But that wasn’t the only exciting development in the world of Stephen King this past week; in addition to a new Blu-ray review and a first reaction to the author’s latest book, I also have a new King Beat exclusive to entice Constant Readers.

This week’s column features an update from David Dastmalchian about the King project he is working on with director Rob Savage, a close look at Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray release of Stephen King’s The Shining, and early buzz about the upcoming short story collection You Like It Darker. Let’s dig in!

David Dastmalchian Isn’t Spilling The Beans About His Mystery Stephen King Project, But He And Rob Savage Are Hard At Work

A few months ago, The King Beat led off with an exciting update regarding the ever-expanding slate of upcoming Stephen King movie and TV projects. Fresh off his experience making his film The Boogeyman starring Sophie Thatcher, Rob Savage shared that he was already developing a second King adaptation – one that would reunite him with David Dastmalchian. There hasn’t been any news about the project since then, but I had the opportunity to check in on its process this past week.

Dastmalchian’s latest movie, Late Night With The Devil, will be arriving in theaters later this month, and when I had the chance to talk with him about it last Thursday, I used part of my time to ask about his new collaboration with the Host director. The actor couldn’t reveal any specifics about what they are cooking up, but it is something that is still in the works, and he noted that he has developed a friendship with Savage since their time working together:

What’s particularly frustrating here is just how hard it is to even speculate about what it is that Rob Savage and David Dastmalchian are working on. Based on the acknowledged shared sensibilities between the two men, it seems fair to guess that they are planning on adapting one of Stephen King’s horror stories… but that hardly narrows it down. We don’t know if it’s a short story, a novella or a novel they are targeting, or even if it’s something that’s been adapted before.

It does feel appropriate that Savage would work with Dastmalchian again on another King project given that the latter’s role in The Boogeyman has the deepest ties to the story that inspired it. While the film is more of an expansion of the short story than a straight adaptation (the primary focus being on original characters), the actor notably portrays Lester Billings – the haunted protagonist of King’s source material. Audiences certainly won’t be seeing the further adventures of Lester, as he is one of many Dastmalchian’s characters who have died on screen, but any Constant Reader should be excited about what they are putting together.

While we wait for the next Stephen King adaptation from Savage and Dastmalchian, the author’s fans can either check out or revisit The Boogeyman – which is available to stream with a Hulu subscription. If you’re a physical media fan, you can pick up a copy of the movie on Blu-ray, which is a must-buy for anyone building the Ultimate Stephen King Collection. And on that note…

Scream Factory’s New Stephen King’s The Shining Blu-ray Features A Beautiful Restoration Of The Network Miniseries

Need proof that 2024 is already flying by? It feels like it was just yesterday that I was publishing my second edition of The King Beat for the year featuring the news that Scream Factory was developing the first ever Blu-ray for Stephen King’s The Shining – the miniseries remake of the beloved novel that first aired on ABC back in 1997. Three months later, my pre-order of the home video release has arrived, and it’s pretty much everything for which I was hoping.

Because the Blu-ray isn’t one of Scream Factory’s Collector’s Editions (like those that they’ve made for Brian De Palma’s Carrie, David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone, Dan Attias’ Silver Bullet and more), the package put together for The Shining doesn’t include a slew of new and original special features… but it has the next best thing: it carries over all of the extras that were previously included on DVD releases – including a commentary track, deleted scenes (with optional commentary), and the original home video trailer – and it also has a restoration of the miniseries that has it looking better than ever.

Collectors will note that there has been a change in the presentation, with the 4:3 aspect ratio better representing what was show on television in the late 1990s compared to the widescreen version on the DVD – but the show looks beautiful and sharp. The experts at Scream Factory have created a 2K scan from the production’s interpositive (with the exception of some scenes that had to be upgraded from other sources), and it’s a wonderful thing to see The Shining arrive in the HD age.

I’ve included some side-by-side screenshots for comparison below, with the material from the DVD on the left and the Blu-ray on the right. In addition to the picture being sharper, the colors are richer and look much less washed out:

Scream Factory has once again proven to be a best friend to Stephen King collectors, and one can only hope that this will only be the first King miniseries they upgrade – as Storm Of The Century, The Langoliers, Rose Red and more still need to get a loving restoration treatment like this. I’ll continue to keep my fingers crossed in hope, and in the meantime, you can look forward to my next Scream Factory review in next week’s The King Beat, as pre-orders of their 4K UHD Collector’s Edition of the 2013 Carrie remake have begun shipping.

Author Linwood Barclay Has Read Stephen King’s New Book, And His Reaction Has Me Even More Psyched For The Collection

The countdown is on! In just a little over 10 weeks, the latest book from Stephen King, the collection You Like It Darker, will be available in stores for Constant Readers to try and instantly devour. We already know more than enough about the tome to be excited, including the fact that it will include a sequel to Cujo titled “Rattlesnakes,” but anticipation for the work has now reached even higher heights thanks to an early reaction to it from author Linwood Barclay.

It seems that galleys of You Like It Darker have been sent out to some lucky souls, and Barclay has evidently already gone through it cover-to-cover. He Tweeted his thoughts about the book on his personal social media page on Wednesday morning, and he was effusive in his praise:

This, frankly, is exactly what I wanted to hear about You Like It Darker. There was never any doubt that the book would feature some notable chills and thrills (what has been revealed about the aforementioned “Rattlesnakes” makes it sound terrifying), but it’s exciting to know that Stephen King is keeping up the tradition in his collections of offering a wide variety of genres. It sounds like the material is going to feature wonderful surprises on every page, and it can’t get here soon enough.

As noted by Linwood Barclay, You Like It Darker will be available everywhere starting on May 21, and pre-orders are now open from major retailers. Be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more about the book as we get closer to its release date.

Recommendation Of The Week: “The Mangler”

Let’s do a bit of anniversary celebrating, shall we? It was 29 years ago this past week that audiences first got to see the film The Mangler, which notably delivers a team-up of three horror icons: Stephen King, director Tobe Hooper, and star Robert Englund. Unfortunately, the movie isn’t actually all that good, as it opts for being schlocky over being compelling, but the good news is that the short story on which it’s based remains a frightening and fun read.

Collected in the 1978 omnibus Night Shift after first being published in a 1972 issue of Cavalier magazine, “The Mangler” follows a criminal investigation being orchestrated by a police detective named John Hunton – who opens the story arriving at an industrial laundromat where a woman has died violently after being pulled into an ironing and folding machine (known colloquially as a “mangler”). It’s a baffling case due to the fact that the accidental death should have been impossible, and what John doesn’t know is that there are supernatural forces at work. As bad as it is for the eponymous equipment to kill a single person, things end up getting far worse before the end of the story.

That wraps up this week’s edition of The King Beat, but be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend every Thursday for my latest column, and while you wait, you can do a full deep dive into the history of Stephen King adaptations via my series Adapting Stephen King.

With The Fall of the House of Usher still tearing it up on Netflix’s daily Top 10 TV Shows (while still holding its spot as my new favorite horror series), creator Mike Flanagan is busy putting together his next high-profile horror-tinged project: the Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck. From the jump, the director revealed an A+ cast list was already being put together, as led by the likes of Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill, with Oculus vet Karen Gillan, Before I Wake’s Jacob Tremblay and Chiwetel Ejiofor heading up the second casting announcement. Now, a smorgasbord of new stars have been revealed, including even more regulars from Flanagan’s films and shows.

The Life of Chuck is being adapted from the multi-novella collection If It Bleeds, specifically Stephen King’s three-act story of the same name. Tom Hiddleston will be taking on the lead role of Charles “Chuck” Krantz, and there’s no shortage of excellent supporting actors set to join the Loki star. Flanagan took to X with a message about how personal this project is to him, as well as some clarification about how the independent film is being produced in agreement with SAG-AFTRA. 

And then he let loose with all the exciting new additions to the ensemble, with arguably my favorite of the bunch being Nightmare on Elm Street scream queen Heather Langenkamp, who is partnering back up with Mike Flanagan and several other cast members after 2022’s Christopher Pike adaptation The Midnight Club. I’m also excited to see The Haunting of Hill House actress Saidah Arrika Ekulona returning to the filmmaker’s universe. Check out all the newly announced familiar faces that will fill out Chuck’s life.

• Annalise Basso
• Matt Biedel
• Saidah Arrika Ekulona
• Rahul Kohli
• Heather Langenkamp
• Carl Lumbly
• Violet McGraw
• Molly C. Quinn
• Sauriyan Sapkota
• Kate Siegel
• Samantha Sloyan
• Michael Trucco

Several talents from that list was also invovled with The Fall of the House of Usher, save for the aforementioned Langenkamp and Ekulona. (Violet McGraw and Annalise Basso were also absent.) But just as Mark Hamill was a new entry to this stable of performers as Arthur Pym, The Life of Chuck will be welcoming several new and known faces to its ranks, including a well-known horror vet.

That's right, fans can look forward to seeing Scream, Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy's vet Matthew Lillard getting his Flanagan/King fix for the new movie. Here's the full lineup of other non-reuniting cast members. 

• Trinity Jo-Li Bliss
• Antonio Raul Corbo
• David Dastmalchian
• Taylor Gordon
• Harvey Guillén
• Q'Orianka Kilcher
• Matthew Lillard
• Benjamin Pajak
• Mia Sara

If we could just get the rest of the What We Do in the Shadows cast to join Harvey Guillén in The Life of Chuck, that'd be awesome. But even if not, I can't wait to see how Guillén factors into the story. 

Mike Flanagan confirmed that The Life of Chuck went into production in Alabama earlier in October, though without a specific release date set at the moment. Check out all the upcoming horror movies that are on the way in the meantime, and don't forget The Fall of the House of Usher is available to stream in full with a Netflix subscription.

This past week, you may have caught the first reviews of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines out of Fantastic Fest 2023, and you may have seen a special reaction to the new thriller No One Will Save You, but that’s not all that’s been going on in the world of Stephen King. There is also a new adaptation in the early stages of development and a special anniversary to celebrate – and I’ve got all that covered and more in this fresh edition of The King Beat.

What has The Boogeyman director Rob Savage been up to, what is the legacy of Doctor Sleep a decade into its existence, and how does the recently released Holly stack up with King’s other Holly Gibney stories? Let’s dig in!

The Boogeyman’s Rob Savage Has Been Discussing Making Another Stephen King Adaptation With David Dastmalchian

Looking at the history of Stephen King adaptations, it’s wonderful to see the impressive number of filmmakers who have dedicated their talents to bringing multiple stories to life on screen. Mick Garris is the most prolific in this field, having made The Stand, The Shining, Quicksilver Highway, Riding The Bullet, Desperation, and Bag Of Bones (not to mention Sleepwalkers, which is based on an original screenplay by King), but there’s also George A. Romero (Creepshow, The Dark Half), Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, Misery), Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep), Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist), and more. It’s a very special club – and it’s one that director Rob Savage wants to join.

Savage took his first step into the world of Stephen King movies this summer with the making of The Boogeyman (based on the short story of the same name from Night Shift), and he’s already excited about the possibility of working on another adaptation. I spoke with the filmmaker earlier this month in advance of his movie’s upcoming Blu-ray debut, and he explained that he now has a whole new way of looking at King stories, and that he’s been talking with actor David Dastmalchian about another collaboration:

There’s certainly no shortage of terrifying tales for Rob Savage to consider, and that’s even truer if he’s open to working with material that has already been adapted. The cited “Graveyard Shift,” for example, was previously made into a film by director Ralph S. Singleton in 1990. That movie also happens to be pretty terrible, however, and it’s a Stephen King story that could use a remake. There exists plenty of cinematic potential in a bunch of roughnecks encountering a rat monster in the wet and dingy bowels of an old mill.

All that being said, if Savage could choose any of King’s stories to make into a movie next, he has a specific title in mind. This past summer, he let the world know that he very much wants to tackle a new version of “The Langoliers,” and flipping through other omnibuses looking at other possibilities has not dulled that passion. He reiterated his desire to adapt the novella in our recent conversation, saying:

First published in the collection Four Past Midnight, “The Langoliers” centers on a small group of passengers aboard a commercial flight who find themselves in a terrifying mystery when their plane accidentally travels through a rip in time. Director Tom Holland, another member of the Multiple Stephen King Adaptations Club, made a small screen version of the story in 1995 prior to the making of the film Thinner – and while it’s a faithful miniseries, it’s also aged terribly due to its awful visual effects.

Rob Savage’s musings on the novella make it sound like he has an exciting vision for the material, and following the success of The Boogeyman, I’m hoping he gets the chance to execute it.

Doctor Sleep Celebrates Its 10 Year Anniversary With A Strange Legacy

Stephen King regularly fields questions about his work from fans and members of the press, but in the late 1990s, one query proposed to him made him really stop and think: whatever happened to Danny Torrance a.k.a. the kid from The Shining? This, as explained in the Author’s Note section of the book, was the big key that led King to write Doctor Sleep – which first arrived in stores 10 years ago this week on September 24, 2013.

In reflection on its decade in existence, the novel has a strange legacy, and it’s specifically because of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The 1980 film is widely considered one of the best horror movies of all time, but King has never been shy about sharing his distaste for the changes the adaptation makes from his source material, and a standout result of that distaste is a flavor of spite that he writes into Doctor Sleep. It’s a terrific story with tremendous characters, powerful horror, and a beautiful theme of recovery to balance The Shining’s story of addiction – but it’s also pointedly King’s sequel to his own book instead of a follow-up to Kubrick’s creation (with Dick Halloran still alive at the start and The Overlook Hotel still destroyed).

Sanding the edges of this pop culture conflict, however, is Mike Flanagan’s brilliant adaptation of Doctor Sleep. It drops the spite qualities of King’s work so that it operates as a sequel to Kubrick’s movie, but more importantly, it also incorporates elements of The Shining novel that Kubrick skipped over. While the book arguably fanned the flames of discord, the adaptation made an effort to forge peace, and it seems that it has, as Flanagan told The Kingcast in 2021 that the author has now “softened” his views on The Shining. A decade ago, that seemed impossible.

Spoiler Mini-Review: Holly Is A Wonderful Return To Non-Supernatural Horror For Stephen King’s Favorite Detective

(SPOILER WARNING: Now that Holly has been out for three weeks, I want to dive into thoughts about the new novel – but if you haven’t read the book yet, proceed at your own risk!)

There are few storytellers in history who are better adept at telling supernatural stories than Stephen King, but when the author set about writing what would become his Bill Hodges trilogy, he opted to take a step away from the fantastical. Arriving in the wake of novels Under The Dome (aliens), 11.22.63 (time travel), The Dark Tower: The Wind Through The Keyhole (magic), Joyland (ghosts), and Doctor Sleep (psychic powers), Mr. Mercedes was King taking a crack at writing straight detective fiction – centering on a retired police officer on the hunt for a mass murderer/serial killer named Brady Hartsfield.

That book, which introduced Constant Readers to the lovely, odd Holly Gibney, was followed by Finders Keepers, which plays in the same grounded ballpark… but the series hasn’t been the same since End Of Watch, which features Brady Hartsfield gaining the ability to inhabit the bodies of others via technological hypnosis. King seemingly couldn’t resist the urge to have Bill and Holly grapple with the supernatural, and he’s continued to have the latter face off against legit monsters in The Outsider and “If It Bleeds.” These are all great stories, but Holly, King’s latest book, is a welcomed return to the original concept for the continuity.

The novel is very much the author having his cake and eating it too. The villains this time around are Emily and Rodney Harris, a pair of elderly professors who kidnap and eat people because they believe that cannibalism is the key to extended life and health. Stephen King writes their story in a way that makes you wonder if they actually know something that others don’t – a vibe supported by Holly’s previous paranormal experiences – but it’s ultimately satisfying to see the detective protagonist drive at the truth and expose the Harrises as traditional violent psychotics.

Holly is another taut, tense mystery from King that doesn’t need a whodunit plot to deliver intrigue, and it’s another brilliant step in the journey of Holly Gibney – who has transformed in spectacular ways since her Mr. Mercedes introduction as a cripplingly shy young woman who is dominated by her anxiety and overbearing mother. Her evolution has been phenomenal to witness as a reader, and hopefully she has many more adventures battling monsters (both literal and figurative) in the years ahead.

Recommendation Of The Week: “Word Processor Of The Gods”

This week’s Stephen King short story recommendation is brought to you by Rob Savage’s hunt for a second King adaptation to make. I considered just being basic and recommending “The Langoliers,” which is amazing for all of the reasons that Savage mentions and more – but I instead opted to challenge myself and find a different title that would reflect the filmmaker’s pre-Boogeyman filmography. With his prior experience making screenlife movies (namely Host and Dashcam), my brain sprung to “Word Processor Of The Gods.”

First published in a 1983 issue of Playboy before being included in the 1985 collection Skeleton Crew, the short story centers on a middle-aged man named Richard Hagstrom who is trapped in an awful life with a demanding wife and disrespectful son. He’s only made more miserable when his lovely nephew Jonathan (the son of his wretched brother) dies in a car accident – but things start to magically change when he begins using a homemade word processor that Jonathan has built as a birthday gift. Richard realizes that whatever he types becomes reality, and he uses this incredible power to rewrite his whole world.

“Word Processor Of The Gods” is a spooky story, but one that notably doesn’t come packaged with the kind of Faustian twist that you would expect; it’s practically a modern fairy tale. It unfolds unexpectedly and without the darkness you’d expect from King. If Rob Savage were to turn it into a movie, though, I’d imagine the best course of action would be to not only modernize it, but also hit the horror gas pedal by introducing some terrible consequences for Richard’s actions (which would also make it stand out from the adaptation made as an episode of 1984’s Tales From The Darkside).

That wraps up this week’s edition of The King Beat, but I’ll be back next Thursday with another news roundup, and you can explore my Adapting Stephen King column in the meantime for a full exploration of King’s work in film and television.

Making any movie is tough, challenging work for all involved, but André Øvredal’s The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is a special case. For starters, almost the entire film has the ensemble cast working in one relatively small location (aboard the titular ship), but there’s also a whole lot of rocking around and getting drenched in water. You can tell while watching the finished feature that it was not an easy production, and the cast confirmed as much when I had the chance to speak with them about their experience earlier this summer.

I spoke with the stars of The Last Voyage Of The Demeter back in June during the movie’s virtual press day (prior to the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike), and one question I asked all of them was about the rougher-than-normal conditions they were working in during the film’s production. Liam Cunningham, who plays the captain of the Demeter in the story, explained that the film in its own way benefitted from its lack of A-listers/big names, as the ensemble cast was made up of performers who are accustomed to the rougher aspects of the profession. Said Cunningham,

Continuing, the former Game Of Thrones star affirmed my suspicions that the water and close quarters made The Last Voyage Of The Demeter a challenging movie to make, but being surrounded by good people helped the experience:

Misery certainly is a big part of the game where this story is concerned. As alluded to by Liam Cunningham, The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is a partial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that digs into what transpires when the titular vampire takes a ship from his home in Transylvania to England. Along the way, he surreptitiously hunts the members of the crew for sustenance so that he can be at full strength by the time the Demeter arrives at its final destination.

Corey Hawkins plays Clemens, a doctor who joins the crew of the Demeter at the last minute, and he told me about a rare sensation that he experienced in the making of the film. Despite not actually taking a vessel out to sea, his time making the new feature left him with a touch of sea sickness. Said Hawkins,

Following up, I specifically asked about working with water and the sequences where there are waves crashing and storms raging. Corey Hawkins admitted those days were rough, but he also found himself marveling and what was being accomplished by the dedicated team of filmmakers:

Corey Hawkins told me that he was able to get into the fantasy, though there were some unfortunate snap backs to reality. He added,

Playing first mate Wojchek in The Last Voyage Of The Demeter, the often cinematically ill-fated David Dastmalchian put it bluntly. The movie wasn’t easy to make and it hurt, but the effort and pain was worth it:

Also starring Aisling Franciosi, Stefan Kapicic, and Woody Norman, The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is now playing in theaters everywhere.

While there are some actors out there who have contracts preventing them from losing on-screen fights, there are others on the opposite side of the spectrum who seem to have a death scene in every project of which they are a part. Sean Bean’s number of big screen deaths is legendary; Steve Buscemi’s record in movies from the Coen brothers includes a gun shot, a hotel fire, a heart attack, and an axe/wood chipper; and Lance Henriksen holds a special place in pop culture being the only performer who has been killed by a Xenomorph, a Terminator, and a Predator.

It’s a weird and special Hollywood legacy – and David Dastmalchian has earned his place as part of it. While Dastmalchian has not yet been a part of the Alien, Predator, or Terminator franchises, his collection of on-screen terminations is impressive, with titles including Dune, Bird Box, Blade Runner 2049, The Suicide Squad, Boston Strangler, and The Boogeyman (and those last two just came out in 2023). That’s quite a lot of dying on camera… and it’s not a trend that is lost on the actor.

Dastmalchian’s latest feature is The Last Voyage Of The Demeter – a film about the notoriously ill-fated titular ship from Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula – and when I spoke to him during the movie’s virtual press day back in June, I asked about his impressive record of death scenes. Wryly, he suggested that what audiences have been witnessing in his career is a kind of macabre training. While athletes practice for a particular sport, he is practicing his own eventual demise:

David Dastmalchian first collaborated with director Denis Villeneuve in the making of the 2013 movie Prisoners, which features a scene where his character commits suicide in a police interrogation room. The actor isn’t featured in Villenueve’s Arrival, but he suffers a fatal blow to the neck delivered by Sylvia Hoeks’ Luv in Blade Runner 2049, and in Dune, he is poisoned to death by a toxic gas unleashed by Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto Atreides.

And we’re not just discussing big screen deaths here either. He’s also murdered in a 2014 episode of CSI, and to go along with the crushing of Polka Dot Man in The Suicide Squad, his run in the DC multiverse also includes characters who meet bitter ends on both Gotham and The Flash.

Given David Dastmalchian’s track record, you might think that he is actively seeking out movies and TV shows where his character doesn’t make it to the end credits, but you’d be wrong. As featured in the video at the top of this article, he told me that he has an enhanced fear of death, and he’s not sure that it’s great for his body that he regularly subjects it to the kind of stress that comes with performing a death scene. He continued,

There’s a kind of trauma that comes with the work… but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t still have some aspirations in the arena. I asked if there were any characters he’d like to be killed by in the future, and it would seem that he would dig the opportunity to square off with James Bond (and lose). Dastmalchian added,

The talented David Dastmalchian can currently be seen on the big screen as part of the all-star ensemble in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (spoiler alert: he doesn’t die), but audiences will get double the Dastmalchian this Friday when The Last Voyage Of The Demeter arrives in theaters everywhere.

There are a number of big movies coming to theaters this summer, including plenty of family-friendly options to pass the time while the kids are out of school. However, for those craving something a little more unsettling, you’ll soon be able to get your horror fix, when The Boogeyman hits the big screen on June 2. The adaptation of Stephen King’s 1973 short story is the next of the author’s many upcoming movies, miniseries and more, and the reviews are here to expand what we know about the adaptation.

The movie stars Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) and Vivien Lyra Blair (Bird Box) as sisters mourning their mother’s death, with Chris Messina as their phsychiatrist father. The family’s lives are thrown even further into turmoil when a disturbed man (David Dastmalchian) arrives, claiming his children were killed by a monster that hides in the darkness. Early reactions from The Boogeyman’s screening at CinemaCon were positive, with moviegoers praising the acting, the action and edge-of-your-seat thrills, so what are the critics saying now? In CinemaBlend’s review of The Boogeyman, Eric Eisenberg rates it 4 out of 5 stars, saying this is a perfect movie to watch in a crowded theater. He continues: 

Kim Newman of Empire also rates The Boogeyman 4 out of 5 stars, calling it an “ungimmicky ghost story” powered by gnawing grief and crafted to deliver maximum scares with minimum fuss. The critic writes: 

Jonathan Sim of ComingSoon.net gives it a “Good” 7 out of 10, saying we’ve seen a lot of this kind of horror before, but director Rob Savage brings it to life and proves that he knows how to catch the audience off-guard. More from the review: 

Daisy Phllipson of Dextero says this movie is well worth the watch for horror junkies, even with a monster that is a little too digitized. The jump scares make up for all of that, and the critic rates it 4 out of 5 stars, saying: 

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting gives the movie just 2.5 skulls out of 5, saying The Boogeyman offers plenty of well-executed scares that will stick with moviegoers, with compliments going to the cast. However, it fails to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. The critic continues; 

While possibly not breaking any new ground in the horror genre, The Boogeyman sounds like one of the more satisfying Stephen King short story adaptations. The critics have no trouble recommending this for anyone in need of a horror fix when it hits the big screen on Friday, June 2. See what other horror movies are on tap for 2023, and check out our 2023 Movie Release Schedule to see what else is coming soon to theaters. 

Ever since making his feature film debut in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, David Dastmalchian portrayed numerous unsettling characters who send a shiver down your spine. Over the years, he’s done this in movies like Prisoners, the incredibly popular Netflix original Bird Box and Dune, to name a few. All of those characters and their unnerving mannerisms and disturbing actions have helped the actor shape what could be his most sinister role yet: Albert DeSalvo in the new Hulu movie Boston Strangler.

In a recent interview in support of the 2023 movie's release, Dastmalchian opened up to CinemaBlend about his portrayal of the man long suspected (only one of the murders was attributed to DeSalvo) of being the Boston Strangler, a serial killer who claimed the lives of 13 women in the early-to-mid 1960s. During our conversation, the actor touched on a number of aspects of his performance, including the “extensive toolbox” he’s developed to bring characters like this to the screen, saying:

Unlike a lot of Dastmalchian’s previous characters, his role in Boston Strangler was based on a real person; someone who allegedly killed more than a dozen people and hurt even more while terrorizing the city of Boston for three years way back when. That being said, the gravity of the situation, as well as his own responsibility to the victims, was not lost on Dastmalchian while preparing for his take on the character, as he pointed out:

In order to create this character, Dastmalchian read a lot about the real Albert DeSalvo, including the letters he sent while in jail because “that’s a really good insight into a person’s psychology.” He also studied the late killer’s physicality and voice in an attempt to “latch onto the manner of speech” and “the way that he behaved.”

And though Dastmalchian plays the titular character in Matt Ruskin’s true crime thriller, he made sure to point out that this isn’t a story only about a serial killer, nor is it a story about terrifying moments of violence. Instead, he sees it as one about two female journalists – Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) – who refused to back down from telling a story to prevent the Boston Strangler from claiming the lives of even more innocent women. 

Anyone with a Hulu subscription can watch David Dastmalchian and the rest of the Boston Strangler cast bring their characters to life in what could be not only one of the best crime dramas of the year, but also an all-time great journalism movie. 

Stream Boston Strangler on Hulu.

The horror genre is in a really great place right now, with last year's successful Halloween season being followed by early 2023 hits including M3GAN, Knock At The Cabin and Scream VI. And even more exciting is that there are a lot of scary movies due out in the coming months. This summer, for example, audiences will be able to see the latest adaptation from the works of Stephen King – director Rob Savage's The Boogeyman – and based on comments from star David Dastmalchian, movie-goers should start mentally preparing for the experience now.

CinemaBlend's Philip Sledge recently spoke with the actor – who is currently promoting his latest movie, Hulu's The Boston Stranger – and he had some very high praise to share when the subject of the conversation turned to The Boogeyman. The movie won't be hitting theaters until June, but David Dastmalchian has already gotten to see a cut of it, and he makes it sound like a nightmare-inducer:

What David Dastmalchian is referring to in the second half of that thought is the fact that The Boogeyman was originally developed to be a Hulu exclusive. That plan changed in January when it was announced that 20th Century Studios was giving the movie a theatrical release. It was originally reported that it was the positive response from test screenings that made executives rethink the feature's theatrical potential, but we learned earlier this month from co-writers/producers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods that Stephen King had a direct hand in changing the distribution strategy.  

The Boogeyman is based on the short story of the same name, which was first featured in the 1978 collection Night Shift – though the adaptation is changing quite a lot from the source material. While King's version centers on a man named Lester Billings who tells a therapist how a monster has been killing his children, the movie centers on the two daughters of a therapist, played by Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair, who contend with a monster living in their house following the death of their mother.

David Dastmalchian's role is actually special in The Boogeyman in that he is playing Lester Billings, who is changed from being the story's protagonist to being a supporting character. It seems that it's fitting casting, as Dastmalchian says that he is definitely a fan of the legendary author:

The first trailer for The Boogeyman premiered online a couple months ago, and you can watch it below:

For more about The Boogeyman, check our our Quick Things guide, and you can learn about all of the Stephen King projects in the works via our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV feature. For a full history of King's works brought to life by filmmakers, check out my Adapting Stephen King column.

Over the years, Hulu has put out great high-concept comedies like Palm Springs and Academy Award-winning dramas like Nomadland, and dozens of other originals in just about every genre imaginable. During that same time, the streaming platform has also put out some great true crime stories, including its most recent release: Boston Strangler.

Matt Ruskin’s thriller about one of the most notorious serial killers in the American Northeast is new on Hulu, bringing with it an incredible saga about the two female reporters who pushed through bureaucracy and sexism to get to the bottom of the story. If you have watched the movie, or are planning to, there’s a chance you’ll want to know where you’ve seen the actors from the Boston Strangler cast, including its two leads: Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon. 

Keira Knightley (Loretta McLaughlin)

Leading the Boston Strangler cast is Keira Knightley, who takes on the role of Boston Record American reporter Loretta McLaughlin, the journalist who initially broke the story about the serial killer.

Knightley, a two-time Academy Award nominee (Pride & Prejudice, The Imitation Game), has done a little bit of everything throughout her long career, including massive blockbuster franchises like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as well as iconic romantic comedies like Love Actually. Prior to Boston Strangler, Knightley’s most recent theatrical effort was the 2021 black comedy, Silent Night.

Carrie Coon (Jean Cole)

Carrie Coon plays a major role in the events with her portrayal of Jean Cole, an investigative reporter at the Boston Record American who was instrumental in the serial killer’s coverage.

The list of Coon’s best movies and TV shows could also be considered a list of some of the best releases in recent memory, with films like Gone Girl, Avengers: Infinity War, and another all-time great journalism story: The Post. She has also been a staple on the small screen, with shows like The Leftovers, Fargo, and most recently, The Gilded Age. 

Chris Cooper (Jack MacLaine)

A newspaper movie wouldn’t be a newspaper movie without a dogged editor. Luckily, Boston Strangler doesn’t have that problem, as Academy Award winner (Adaptation) Chris Cooper has a major role as Jack MacLaine.

Throughout his historic career, Cooper has appeared in countless movies, some of which could be considered the best of the past few decades. This includes unforgettable performances in the likes of American Beauty, October Sky, Capote, and another all-time great Boston movie, The Town. Cooper has even popped up in the Spider-Man franchise, having played Norman Osborn in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. 

Alessandro Nivola (Detective Conley)

Alessandro Nivola shows up as Detective Conley, an investigator with the Boston Police Department looking into the murders.

Over the years, Nivola has appeared in movies like Selma, American Hustle, The Many Saints of Newark, and most recently, Amsterdam. Fans of the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies will also certainly recognize Nivola from his portrayal of Billy Brennan in Jurassic Park III. 

Bill Camp (Commissioner McNamara)

Taking on the role of Boston Police Commissioner Edmund McNamara is Bill Camp, who brings years of experience to the cast.

Arguably one of the most talented character actors in Hollywood today, Camp has made a career out of giving commanding, and unique performances in all kinds of movies, shows, and stage productions. Fans of the Netflix drama series, The Queen’s Gambit will surely recognize Camp from his portrayal of Mr. Shaibel, as will those who watched The Outsider, which saw Camp in one of the show’s biggest roles. His more recent film contributions include Joker, News of the World, Passing, and Dark Waters. 

David Dastmalchian (Albert DeSalvo)

David Dastmalchian shows up as Albert DeSalvo, the man long believed to be the titular serial killer, though he has only been connected to one of the 13 victims in the decades since the attacks first began.

Dastmalchian, who made his film debut in The Dark Knight, has gone on to have a rather successful career, especially the past few years. With multiple roles in the Ant-Man movies, a sizable performance in Dune, and an unforgettable turn as Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad, he’s been just about everywhere as of late. Dastmalchian is also set to be one of the many members of the Oppenhemier cast when Christopher Nolan’s next movie premieres this summer.

Ryan Winkles (Daniel Marsh)

Ryan Winkles provides an eerie performance with his portrayal of Daniel Marsh, one of the men suspected of being the killer.

Boston Strangler is Winkles first major feature film, as his previous on-screen appearances include various short films and the 2016 TV miniseries, The Time Traveling Bong. However, he has performed extensively on the stage throughout his career. 

Greg Vrotsos (George Nassar)

Greg Vrotsos appears in the film as George Nassar, Albert DeSalvo’s cellmate who is instrumental in the alleged killer’s confession.

Though he has appeared in movies like Empire State and Horrible Bosses 2 throughout his career, Vrotsos has predominantly been a TV actor, having major roles on shows like Orange is the New Black, the 2017 Twin Peaks revival series, and Mayans M.C., to name only a few. 

Morgan Spector (James McLaughlin)

Morgan Spector takes on the role of James McLaughlin, Keira Knightley’s on-screen husband, appearing in some of the movie’s more intense scenes.

Throughout his career, Spector has appeared on several notable TV shows, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Boardwalk Empire, Orange is the New Black, and Homeland. More recently, he has landed major roles on David Simon’s 2020 miniseries, The Plot Against America, as well as The Gilded Age, in which he plays Boston Strangler co-star Carrie Coon’s on-screen husband. 

Robert John Burke (Eddie Holland)

And then there is Robert John Burke, who portrays Boston Record American Managing Editor Eddie Holland, a figure who is initially hesitant to pursue the series of articles.

Known for his portrayal of Ed Tucker on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as his turn as Mickey Gavin on Rescue Me, Burke has been a prolific TV actor throughout his career, also landing roles on shows like Oz, Gossip Girl, Person of Interest, and countless others. His previous film work includes BlacKkKlansman, Tombstone, RoboCop 3 (he took on the role of the titular cyborg crimefighter), and most recently, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

This is just the main portion of the Boston Strangler cast. You can see these actors and everyone else by watching the true crime thriller with a Hulu subscription.

Stream Boston Strangler on Hulu.

Earlier this year, director Rob Savage's upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's The Boogeyman got some terrific news. While the film went into production with plans in place for it to be an exclusive for Hulu, it was widely reported in January that the distribution strategy had changed and that the movie was going to get a theatrical run. It was said at the time that the move was made in reaction to positive test screenings and the current big screen horror boom – but it turns out that the author of the source material also had a role to play in the decision.

With filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods on the ReelBlend podcast this week promoting their new film 65, the hosts took the opportunity to ask about their work on The Boogeyman (on which they are credited as screenwriters and producers). CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell inquired about what happened behind the scenes that moved the movie from streaming to theaters, and Woods broke it down from the beginning. He explained, 

As Woods continued, he explained how both test screening audiences and Stephen King forced executives at 20th Century Studios to rethink the decision to make The Boogeyman a Hulu exclusive: 

Having spent the last half century seeing adaptations of his work going to both the big screen and the small screen, Stephen King is a voice worth listening to when it comes to properly scaring an audience, and thankfully The Boogeyman will be getting the opportunity to freak out big crowds this summer.

Not only has King been advocating for the film behind the scenes, he's been doing it in public as well – posting about the movie in advance of its trailer drop back in late January. And speaking of which, you can watch the Boogeyman first look below:

Watching that trailer, you may have noticed the familiar face of David Dastmalchian, who has a key role to play in the movie. The adaptation of The Boogeyman appears to stray pretty far from Stephen King's short story, but Dastmalchian's character is what directly links the two together: the actor is playing Lester Billings, the protagonist of the source material.

Scott Beck spoke with ReelBlend about the process of adapting the Stephen King short story, noting that there really isn't enough in what King originally wrote to fit a feature film. Said Beck,

Rather than being about the plight of Lester Billings, The Boogeyman movie will primarily focus on his psychiatrist, played by Chris Messina, and the psychiatrist's two daughters, played by Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair. All that being said, Scott Beck emphasized that Lester still has an important role to play. Said the filmmaker,

There is still a lot about The Boogeyman that is being maintained as a mystery, and that definitely only has us more excited for the film's theatrical release. Look for the movie in cinemas near you on June 2.

Check out our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide to learn about all of the projects based on King's works that are in development, and read my Adapting Stephen King column to learn about the extensive history of King adaptations, going back to Carrie in 1976.

Many actors have starred in at least one superhero movie, and there are a handful who’ve lent their talents to both a Marvel and a DC cinematic offering. Then there’s David Dastmalchian, who’s starred in numerous Marvel and DC movies and TV shows, both live-action and animated, over the years, starting with making his film debut in The Dark Knight. You might also remember him as Polka-Dot Man from 2021’s The Suicide Squad, where he was directed by James Gunn. With Gunn now writing Superman: Legacy after previously turning down the opportunity to make a Superman movie, Dastmalchian has picked a specific role he’d like to play in this project, and it sounds amazing.

Following his appearances as Kurt in the first two Ant-Man movies and an episode of What If… ?, David Dastmalchian is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe spotlight, but this time as Veb, one of the Quantum Realm denizen shown in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While speaking with the actor about his new MCU role, CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell asked Dastmalchian what role he’d like to play in the DC Universe shared continuity, which will launch in the near future as Chapter One, a.k.a. Gods and Monsters. Dastmalchian stated that he’d be game to tackle Krypto the Superdog in Superman: Legacy, saying:

While certainly not on the same level of popularity as characters like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, Krypto has gotten a lot of attention outside of the comics, including leading his own animated series and appearing alongside Joshua Orphin’s Conner Kent in Titans. I would, of course, be remiss if I also didn’t mention DC League of Super-Pets, which starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Superman’s canine friend. At this point, the next logical step is for Krypto to be featured in a live-action Superman movie. What’s even better is that one of the stories inspiring Superman: Legacy is All-Star Superman, and Krypto appeared in the sixth issue. 

So, James Gunn, if you’re reading this, not only is it worth considering including Krypto the Superdog, but know that David Dastmalchian is game to tackle the role and has experience performing non-humanoid characters via motion-capture. Even if that doesn’t happen, with Dastmalchian having already contributed to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and the DC Extended Universe, it’s only appropriate that a role be found for him in the DC Universe, Superman-related or otherwise. Dastmalchian’s other DC credits include playing Abra-Kadabra in The Flash TV series, Dwight in Gotham and Calendar Man in Batman: The Long Halloween, and he’ll soon be heard as Grendon in the next direct-to-video animated DC movie, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham.

For now, you can see David Dastmalchain’s Veb on the big screen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. HBO Max subscribers can easily find nearly all of the actor’s past DC work, though if you’d like to stream his episodes of The Flash, you’ll need a Netflix subscription. Superman: Legacy is lined up on the upcoming DC movies slate for a July 11, 2025 release.

Last night, nearly three full months after the first Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer dropped, a new Quantumania trailer premiered, which was surprisingly dark and serious, but nonetheless quite cool. The latest chapter of Scott Lang’s journey will see him, his daughter Cassie, Hope van Dyne, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne sucked into the Quantum Realm and tangling with a variety of strange threats, including Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, Thanos’ successor as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s overarching villain.

We’re now just a little over a month until the third Ant-Man movie kicks off the MCU’s Phase 5, but along with this latest preview to tide fans over, some intriguing new information has come to light. It turns out that two of Quantumania’s returning actors are playing brand-new characters.

David Dastmalchian

Until now, David Dastmalchian has left his imprint on the MCU as as Kurt, a member of the, as Hank Pam described them, “Three Wombats,” alongside Michael Peña’s Luis and T.I.’s Dave. These three appeared in the first two Ant-Man moves, and Dastmalchian also voiced Kurt in an episode of What If… ?. In June 2022, Dastmalchian said he wouldn’t return for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,  but by the following November, a theater standee for the threequel included his name. Now it’s been officially announced that while Dastmalchian will indeed be back for Quantumania, only it won’t be as Kurt.

Instead, David Dastmalchian will play someone named Zeb in the upcoming Marvel movie, though no details about the character have been revealed. Given how much time we’ll be spending in the Quantum Realm, one can presume that he’ll be a denizen of that microscopic dimension, but it’s anyone’s guess how he’ll fit into the story, including whether he’ll be an ally or enemy to our heroes. On another note, maybe there’s still a chance that Dastmalchian could also cameo as Kurt in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, with hat brief appearance explaining why he, Luis and Dave aren’t involved in the main story.

Corey Stoll

Back in 2021, a report surfaced that Corey Stoll, who played main antagonist Darren Cross, a.k.a. Yellowjacket, in the first Ant-Man movie, would return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, rather than simply reprise Cross in his normal form, Stoll would instead appear as MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), the big-headed Marvel villain who Patton Oswalt voiced in the character’s short-lived animated series, which can be watched with a Hulu subscription. While MODOK’s appearance in Quantumania was confirmed last summer through exclusive footage shown at San Diego Comic-Con, the newest trailer included a brief look at an unmasked MODOK, and sure enough, his visage looks like Stoll’s, albeit stretched out and sitting in a floating chair.

What’s unclear at the moment is whether Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s MODOK is a transformed Darren Cross or if Corey Stoll is playing MODOK as a completely new character. When we last saw Darren in the first Ant-Man movie, his Yellowjacket suit has been sabotaged by Scott Lang, resulting in him shrinking uncontrollably until he just disappeared. For years, Darren has been presumed dead, but perhaps he was instead transported to the Quantum Realm and was somehow transformed into MODOK. On the other hand, if David Dastmalchian can appear in Quantumania as a new character, perhaps the same goes for Stoll, and MODOK is not tied to Darren in any way.

All our questions about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be answered once it starts playing on the big screen on February 17. Until then, use your Disney+ subscription to rewatch the Marvel movies in order and check out the streaming service’s various Marvel shows.

Now that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever brought some major epic moments to the MCU, we await Phase 5. Kicking things off in 2023 is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with the return of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pffeifer. The latest about the upcoming Marvel movie is that another fan-favorite from the franchise is coming back, per posters circulating in theaters ahead of the release. 

As one Marvel fan pointed out on Twitter, David Dastmalchian will officially be among Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s cast. In the photo below, if you look really closely at the right of the poster underneath Kang the Conqueror's hand, the actor's name is on display. So, Kurt Goreshter is back! 

Kurt Goreshter was introduced as a cybercriminal who was part of Scott Lang’s team he worked with on his heists. He also served as a bit of fun comedic relief throughout the 2015 movie.  Kurt also appeared in the 2018 sequel too, so it's great that David Dastmalchian is reprising the role for the third Ant-Man movie. 

Earlier this year, David Dastmalchian was asked about whether he was set to return and he said that it “doesn’t look like it.” Either he was an addition to the film late in the production process, or he put on a good poker face for a journalist. Marvel stars seem to always be sworn to secrecy, so we wouldn’t be surprised about the latter. 

While observing the Quantumania poster being displayed in theaters, other realizations were also drawn. For example, Michael Peña’s name is not on the poster after playing Luis in the other two Ant-Man movies. However, because an actor is not on the poster, it doesn’t mean they are not in the movie.

All the actors that are officially listed on the massive poster are Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors (who is playing the film’s major villain Kang), Bill Murray, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas at the top. By that measure, Murray in particular is getting a rather big bump in the movie. As far as all the names placed on that right corner are Kathryn Newton as Scott’s all-grown up daughter Cassie Lang, William Jackson Harper and Katy O’Brian. We don’t know what the latter two actors are playing in the movie, but many theorize The Good Place star will play Reed Richards. 

As the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania trailer teases, the movie will see the Marvel heroes exploring the Quantum Realm together and going head to head with a new villain in Kang the Conqueror. It’ll be exciting to look out for David Dastmalchian’s Kurt Goreshter back in action and cracking funny jokes when the movie hits theaters on February 17, 2023.

Matt Reeves’ faithful take on DC’s Caped Crusader released to theaters a few weeks ago, and has since dominated the box office, reaching new milestones. The Batman has received some critiques here and there but, overall the response to the Robert Pattinson-led movie has been good. Now former The Dark Knight actor and Joker Henchman David Dastmalchian has shared his thoughts, which include some major praise for Colin Farrell’s portrayal of The Penguin. 

Initially, there was a lot criticism surrounding the casting of the lead role, as fans didn’t love Robert Pattinson taking the job. While Pattinson has received a good amount of praise since the release of The Batman, Colin Farrell has earned a considerable amount of buzz, David Dastmalchian sweetly added to it. In an interview with Looper, Dastmalchian says he absolutely loved the movie, right along with the casting choices. Here's what the Suicide Squad star said about the movie and Farrell, exactly:

Colin Farrell is one of those actors who can blend into the cinematic proceedings and put out one stellar performance after another. Personally, I’ve had it bad for Farrell since In Bruges, falling harder in love with him after watching Fright Night -- and then even more in Seven Psychopaths. The man can act, and he brings something a little different each time, standing out on screen even surrounded by other majorly impressive players.

That’s why it’s really no surprise to me that he killed it in The Batman and is being noticed by his peers. If anyone is one to know comic book-based movies and give their thoughts on a portrayal, David Dastmalchian is a good one. He has portrayed a number of comic book characters, starting first as a henchman in The Dark Knight and then appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. He also appeared a number of DC's live-action TV series before earning a major role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, in which he played the tragic Polka-Dot Man (who resonated with Dastmalchian). At this point, he pretty much knows what is expected in the superhero and villain world, so praise from him is pretty awesome.

Colin Farrell is pretty unrecognizable in The Batman, which makes his performance even more awesome. It's an interpretation that's completely different than what we are used to, both from the actor and from the Penguin character. Danny DeVito, who famously played the role, seems to have been proven right after saying that Farrell would be great in the role. 

You don’t have to take my, or David Dastmalchian’s, word for it, though, as The Batman is currently still playing in theaters. The new movie release is not yet available for streaming, however you’ll be able to catch it with an HBO Max subscription on April 19th, once its theatrical period is over.

Not much is known about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania outside of the return of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, and a few stalwarts in the franchises. Of course, moviegoers already know rapper T.I.’s Dave isn’t returning for the threequel after multiple women accused him and his wife Tiny Harris of sexual abuse last year. While losing Dave was already a massive blow to the franchise, another longtime Ant-Man actor has confirmed their absence from the film.

Fans might have to settle for only one member of X-Con Security Consultants returning for the Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel as David Dastmalchian revealed fan-favorite Kurt Goreshter won’t be back. For now, it appears Michael Pena’s Luis is the only friend of Scott Lang coming back. Dastmalchian might’ve been waiting on word from director Peyton Reed as he spoke with Screen Rant at the Moon Knight premiere.

So, Kurt is out of the picture… for now. It seemed like the Suicide Squad actor was a little unsure about his status in the sequel by hinting at his attempted contact with Reed. It wouldn’t be too farfetched to say Dastmalchian might still have a chance to pop up at one point in Quantumania. While the Ant-Man 3 director confirmed filming wrapped last November, there were photos of Paul Rudd allegedly filming more scenes in San Francisco. So, the actor could still be involved in the film, which he couldn’t admit even if he wanted to as part of Marvel’s notorious veil of secrecy.

While the Dune actor seemingly isn’t in the mix, the cast is already stacked with a nice mix of returning and new characters to root for in Quantumania. Along with Rudd and Lily, Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet Van Dyne are back in action with Kathryn Newton will serve as the new Cassie Lang, which might hint at her superhero alias Stature’s introduction. Of course, Jonathan Majors is bringing his spirited take on Kang the Conqueror from Loki to the big screen.

Another way the film might fill the void left by Kurt and Dave is bringing on Rudd’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife co-star Bill Murray and Nick Fury himself Samuel L. Jackson. While the Afterlife actor shut down the Murray rumors, Jackson nonchalantly confirmed his involvement in the Ant-Man and the Wasp follow-up. Things look busy right now for the threequel so it might be better for the ex-cons to sit this one out.

It might be a while before viewers get to see who will or won’t be in the sequel as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t slated to arrive in theaters until July 28, 2023. But there are multiple upcoming Marvel movies to keep fans occupied until the threequel arrives with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness landing in theaters on May 6. In the meantime, keep up with the latest Ant-Man 3 news by checking back with CinemaBlend.

The Dark Knight is, without question, one of the most important comic book movies ever made. It is generally regarded as the best Batman movie made to date, and that’s impressive considering no comic book hero has quite the big screen history. However, the movie took on absolutely mythic proportions due to it being released after the death of Heath Ledger, and David Dastmalchian, who worked alongside Ledger in the movie, still thinks about what a special experience that was.

Before David Dastmalchian was appearing in movies from Ant-Man to The Suicide Squad to Dune, he appeared as one of the Joker’s thug’s in The Dark Knight. It was one of Dastmalchian’s first big screen roles, and speaking with Looper, the actor talked about what a great actor, and what a great person, Heath Ledger was, saying...

Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight is one of the all-time greats. It won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Of course, the great tragedy was that it was awarded posthumously, as Ledger died following the completion of his work on The Dark Knight. 

And it shows just how good Heath Ledger’s performance truly was as The Joker. We’ve learned some since his death regarding how involved his process was. It’s almost shocking to hear David Dastmalchian talk about how kind and gentle the actor was, considering that’s about as far from the character he played as you could possibly get. 

Heath Ledger was certainly a great talent that fans lost far too young. We can only imagine what sorts of performances he would have given had he been with us longer. There’s a good chance he would have added to that Oscar. 

For his part, David Dastmalchian has become a great actor in his own right, and with a number of roles in high profile films, we will certainly continue to see him impressing us with his skills as well. The experience that Dastmalchian had making The Dark Knight has certainly left its mark. 

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad had many unique characters with their own particular character ticks and looks. Polka-Dot Man, played by David Dastmalchian, is one of the most memorable and hilarious characters that populated Gunn's twisted take on Task Force X. The actor has talked about how Polka-Dot man resonated with him and has even been sharing set photos of his cat in Polka-Dot Man cosplay. Now, Gunn has released some set photos featuring Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man’s makeup, and they're wild.

When it comes to horror films and some superhero movies, applying makeup can be a serious task, as it can take hours for the process to be completed. This typically means an actor will have to wake up quite early in order to prepare for the day's shoot and, then of course, there's the actually process. James Gunn's behind-the-scenes look at David Dastmalchian’s test makeup on the set of The Suicide Squad is a testament to the hard work the artists do and the actor's commitment to his craft. Here is the look at the insane practical makeup, via the director's Twitter:

What fans are specifically seeing is the makeup for the character's "polka-dot disease," in which he swells up with dots and has to purge them -- or he'll explode. Gunn says that David Dastmalchian was a fan of all the pioneers of monster makeup like Lon Chaney and all the old Universal movies. The actor previously talked about his life-long love of horror and explained how getting in the makeup for the first time was extremely emotional for him.

To that point, the actor is visibly emotional in the photos, and it's understandable that his director would want to take some photos to mark the occasion. Polka-Dot Man was one of the best parts of The Suicide Squad, and it seems David Dastmalchian was able to dive headfirst into the character and, as a result, he's now become a bit of a movie monster himself.

James Gunn has also shared a behind-the-scenes look at Idris Elba handling filming duties for a scene, which proves there’s nothing Elba can't do. The environment on the set of the DCEU film seems like it was very fun, despite the fact that they had to shoot in wet and cold conditions. And Margot Robbie in particular seems to have persevered through the weather like a savage. It's ironic that such warm and emotional times off camera were happening as a unique and violent (yet strangely touching) movie was being made.

Hopefully, we'll see more of this fan-favorite team in the future, and it seems like the writer/director would like that to be the case. James Gunn can’t stop teasing his ideas for Weasel, -- and who can blame him for putting so much energy into the film’s best character. And of course, there's the John Cena-led Peacemaker spinoff that's headed to HBO Max. Hopefully, Gunn gets a shot at another Suicide Squad movie, which leads to more warm BTS moments like David Dastmalchian's.

The Suicide Squad is currently playing in theaters.

Okay, sci-fi fans, prepare yourself. The highly anticipated epic Dune, a feature film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, is finally almost here. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive. The sci-fi epic will feature an absolutely legendary cast including Timothée Chalamet as Paul, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.

Dune will finally debut in theaters on October 22, with a month-long simultaneous release on HBO Max. Critics have started releasing their reviews of the film, so let’s check out what they’re saying.

We’ll start with the home team, as usual. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg, a huge fan of Herbert’s book, absolutely loved Dune, rating it 4.5 out of 5 stars. He thought it was spectacular and jaw-dropping and commended many aspects of the epic, one being the extremely talented ensemble. He also praised Villeneuve’s ability to translate the source material without compromise, something that will surely appease fans. Eisenberg did note that the film is defined by being a Part one (it’s an adaptation of only the first part of Herbert’s novel), so it doesn’t exactly provide conclusions. But that just means that this movie demands a part two, and Eisenberg said:

Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly is also singing Dune’s praises, though she echoed Eisenberg’s sentiments that this movie begs for a sequel that you can watch immediately after. Greenblatt commended Villeneuve’s stunning visual storytelling, though she thought that if anything falls flat, it’s the sandworms. She also enjoyed every performance, and noted that this epic is packed to the brim with legendary actors. But Greenblatt also commented that anyone not familiar with Herbert’s book might be a little lost. She said:

Deadline’s Pete Hammond thought Dune was “spectacular” and a much better adaptation of Herbert’s novel than David Lynch’s 1984 film. He commended Villeneuve’s ability to focus on the “heart and soul” of Herbert’s story, as well as the cinematography and score from Hans Zimmer. Hammond also praised the cast, noting that Chalamet was perfectly cast as Paul. He said:

David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter enjoyed the science fiction epic overall, but notes that viewers not caught up on the original source material might totally zone out. He highly commended the spectacle of the cinematography and direction from Villeneuve and the epic cast, along with the costuming by Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan and the production design from Patrice Vermette. But Rooney argued that the film doesn’t make the world-building digestible enough and lacks enough interesting action, saying:

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman thought Dune was spectacular enough… until it wasn’t. He argued that while the epic was mesmerizing in its world-building, it lost steam after a while and ran out of tricks, and became a lot less interesting. Gleiberman noted:

Well, that was a pretty mixed bag of reviews. Critics seem to enjoy Dune overall or remain a bit disappointed. But audiences will be able to decide for themselves when the epic release in theaters on October 22.

Be sure to stick around on CinemaBlend to see if a Dune sequel actually gets green-lit (Villeneuve remains optimistic about those chances). In the meantime, you can plan your next movie-going experience with our new movie release guide.

James Gunn’s newly released The Suicide Squad introduced a number of new villains that missed out on Task Force X's first cinematic outing, aside from a slightly altered version of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and a few other familiar faces. Among the lesser known villains that the director gave new life to is the Polka-Dot Man, who was both played by and written for David Dastmalchian. The actor really found himself drawn to the character, and he's now getting candid about exactly why the character “resonated” with him so strongly.

David Dastmalchian is an actor who has played a lot of different supporting roles in huge productions and has amassed a number of credits in comic book movies. In fact, Polka-Dot Man isn’t even the only Batman villain he has played, as he previously portrayed the Joker’s henchman in The Dark Knight. Despite having a large codex of comic book characters to his name, in an interview with NME, Dastmalchian explains that his The Suicide Squad character’s dark past and mindset were the first things that "instantly resonated" with him. Here’s what he says, exactly:

David Dastmalchian is certainly not the only celebrity to struggle with his mental health and speak out publicly about it, but it is still a borderline taboo topic. This is especially true for people like Dastmalchian who have battled even darker struggles like suicidal tendencies. The 44-year-old actor also struggled with a heroin addiction in the past. Unfortunately, addiction is not unusual for people who have intense struggles with their mental health.

In the same interview, David Dastmalchian explained that another aspect of Polka-Dot Man’s arc in The Suicide Squad that he related to was the character's need to go on Task Force X's dangerous assignment. As Dastmalchian points out, the mission was a way for the character to “end his suffering." Here it is in the actor’s own words:

While people who struggle with addiction and mental health issues, in many cases, do so for their entire life, it's always great to see when someone gets the upper hand on their struggles. It definitely appears that David Dastmalchian has conquered a lot of those past struggles he speaks about and was able to safely revisit them with his The Suicide Squad character.

You can catch David Dastmalchian's excellent performance in The Suicide Squad by checking it out in theaters or on HBO Max. And you'll soon be able to see the actor in Dune, which will also receive a dual release on October 22.

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Film adaptations of popular novels are notoriously hit or miss. Some can be great successes (The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter) while others...aren’t (cough, Eragon, cough). That’s part of the reason why Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction novel Dune is so highly anticipated. Will the movie introduce a new generation of fans to the world of Arrakis, or will the complex backstory simply confuse viewers? Luckily for the uninitiated, Dune actor David Dastmalchian has the perfect plan to prepare people for Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic.

David Dastmalchian, who will play the villainous Mentat Piter De Vries, recently chatted with ScreenRant about Dune. Realizing that there’s a lot of backstory necessary to fully enjoy the film, David Dastmalchian offered up the perfect method for preparing to watch the movie. He explained:

That's sage advice indeed. Similarly to the HBO series Game of Thrones, Dune has a laundry list of characters that must be memorized in order to understand the plot. Reading the original source material can only help viewers understand Denis Villeneuve’s version of Dune. However, there are previous adaptations of Dune, most famously the 1984 film by David Lynch. Are they worth watching as well? David Dastmalchian thinks so - and he’s even come up with the proper viewing order. He said:

So there you have it: the ideal reading/viewing schedule that will get you up to speed on the fascinating sci-fi world of Dune. And, like David Dastmalchian said, you have plenty of time to dive in. The movie, starring Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Josh Brolin, will hit theaters and HBO Max on October 22. If you're interested in the latter option, sign up for the streaming service with this link.

As with any superhero flick, special effects are very much a part of the moviegoing experience. And of course, The Suicide Squad was no exception given its action-packed scenes and CGI-created characters. But not all the characters were fully aided by computer-generated effects. The Suicide Squad’s David Dastmalchian got to experience special effects in a way that touched the actor. Dastmalchian recalled the special moment that brought him to tears while shooting the James Gunn movie.

Out of all the characters, David Dastmalchian’s awkward Polka-Dot Man became the unlikely fan-favorite from The Suicide Squad. Of course, Dastmalchian was no stranger to superhero movies. But the DC film allowed him to realize a lifelong dream. The Suicide Squad star revealed how James Gunn tapped into his love of practical effects.

It was nice to know The Suicide Squad allowed David Dastmalchian to fulfill a childhood dream. Dealing with practical effects can be a major undertaking, but it seemed like the actor was more than up for the challenge. In a way, Dastmalchian paid homage to Lon Chaney’s work. Chaney’s usage of makeup in horror can still be seen in film today even as computer-generated effects become the norm. So, the Dune star got to live out all his practical effects desires. Specifically, Polka-Dot man had his glowing sores throughout the movie's runtime.

Besides mixing practical and computer effects, David Dastmalchian pointed out why playing the character was even more special on a personal level. Dastmalchian divulged to Looper that Polka-Dot Man’s effects were handled by his friend effects artist Greg Funk. He recalled the experience as “a treat one” working with Funk and his partner. The actor seemed to enjoy working with them to fulfill his lifelong dream.

Hopefully, David Dastmalchian will get to channel his inner Lon Chaney more often through his current slate of projects. If you want to see Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man in action, you can watch The Suicide Squad currently in theaters and on HBO Max.

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I do not know if there has ever been a more prolific actor in the history of superhero movies than David Dastmalchian. With joining The Suicide Squad cast as the obscure villain Polka-Dot Man, the Dune star has officially appeared in four DC movies and two DC TV shows as a different character each time (not counting the two-part Batman: The Long Halloween movie), in addition to his role in the Marvel movies, as well. While we are not sure what more comic book adaptations could appear in his future, there are plenty of other upcoming David Dastmalchian movies to look forward to, such as his long, long awaited reunion with director Denis Villeneuve.

Upcoming David Dastmalchian Movies

Dune (2021)

David Dastmalchian has had the honor of working with some of the most celebrated filmmakers in Hollywood, including David Lynch for Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival, Kevin Smith for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, James Gunn for The Suicide Squad (of course), and Denis Villeneuve. His third collaboration with the Academy Award nominated visionary is the sci-fi epic Dune, in which the actor plays Piter de Vries - a sadistic but calculative member of the House Harkonnen, which rivals the heroic Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) family. The adaptation of author Frank Herbert’s classic novel (and one of the most highly anticipated 2021 movies) is currently set to be released on October 22, both in theaters and on HBO Max.

Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023)

If you thought Dune was taking a while to come out, this other literary adaptation on David Dastmalchian’s upcoming resume has been in development for almost two decades and is based on just one excerpt of a legendary novel. Chapter 7 of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is told from the perspective of the captain of a Russian cargo ship, which was discovered at the English port town of Whitby without a trace of the entire crew on board. From Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal and Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 co-writer Zak Olkewicz, Last Voyage of the Demeter is expected to hit theaters on January 27, 2023, and sounds like a must for fans of victorian horror movies to check out.

The Killing Kind (TBA)

A thriller with a more grounded, modern day setting that is still currently in development is The Killing Kind, which John-Michael Powell - best known as an editor for Netflix’s Dear White People TV show - is attached to direct. According to The Hollywood Reporter, David Dastmalchian signed on for in the drama alongside former Breaking Bad cast member Aaron Paul, who plays a man seeking revenge for the murder of his fiancée. That was last we heard anything about the film, meaning a release date or production start date is anyone’s guess at the moment.

Hide Your Eyes (TBA)

Also in 2017, as reported by Deadline, David Dastmalchian and producers Steven P. Wegner and Mali Elfman tapped filmmaker Laura Moss to direct a movie that the actor actually wrote himself, supposedly inspired by his own past struggles with addiction. The horror film is called Hide Your Eyes and follows a young Midwestern woman who finds herself haunted by a malicious unseen entity after experimenting with drugs. At the moment, there is no word on if Dastmalchian will also appear in a role, who else has been cast, or when the film (which was supposed to start shooting in the summer of 2017) will be released.

Girls Will Be Girls 2012 (TBA)

The title of this comedy, Girls Will Be Girls 2012, suggests that it was meant to come out nearly a decade ago, but it looks like they may need to change it if it still has a chance. A Kickstarter campaign was launched for this sequel to the 2003 cult favorite Girls Will Be Girls - starring three male actors (Jack Plotnick, Clint Leupp, and Jeffrey Roberson) as actresses struggling with life, love, and their careers - in 2010 and was last updated in 2015. Whether or not David Dastmalchian’s role in the movie as Toby Speed will ever see the light of day remains to be determined.

Movies And Shows To Watch If You Like David Dastmalchian

The Dark Knight (2008)

David Dastmalchian’s career as a film actor began with a wordless, but still memorable, appearance in one of the most critically and commercially successful films of all time. Christopher Nolan changed his life when he cast him in The Dark Knight as Thomas Schiff - a paranoid schizophrenic and former Arkham Asylum patient whom an angry Harvey Dent (Aaron Dent) interrogates over the disappearance of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) until Batman (Christian Bale) intervenes. Obviously, this would not be his last comic book adaptation, nor would it be the last of his Batman movies either.

Stream The Dark Knight on HBO Max.

Rent/buy The Dark Knight digitally on Amazon.

Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)

David Dastmalchian actually exchanges words with the Caped Crusader in both halves of the animated adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s acclaimed graphic novel Batman: The Long Halloween, which came out one month apart. In fact, he lends his voices to both Penguin and Calendar Man - the latter of which, ironically shows up in The Suicide Squad (Sean Gunn) insulting Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man. Of course, this would not be the first time the actor played multiple DC villains in the same year.

Rent/buy Batman: The Long Halloween, Part 1 digitally on Amazon.

Rent/buy Batman: The Long Halloween, Part 2 digitally on Amazon.

Gotham (2017)

The second time that David Dastmalchian (technically) played a follower of the “Clown Prince of Crime” was in two episodes of Gotham’s third season. His character, an employee of Arkham Asylum’s experimental Indian Hill facility named Dwight Pollard, was discovered to be keeping Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan) from dying by freezing his body before resurrecting him to wreak more havoc on the city. His maniacal performance really is a testament to how much better he can play a villain when you give him dialogue.

Stream Gotham Season 3, Episode 12 on Netflix.

Stream Gotham Season 3, Episode 13 on Netflix.

Rent/buy Gotham Season 3 digitally on Amazon.

The Flash (2017, 2021)

In the same year he guest starred on Gotham as Dwight Pollard, David Dastmalchian made his Arrowverse debut as Abra Kadabra in a The Flash Season 3 episode of the same name. The actor goes platinum blonde as the villain, who comes from the 64th Century with nanotechnology built into his body that allows him to appear as if he has magical powers. He would reprise the role for The Flash Season 7 in 2021, which has clearly been a huge year for his career in comic book adaptations, but even outside of the the DC Multiverse.

Stream The Flash Season 3, Episode 18 on Netflix.

Stream The Flash Season 7, Episode 4 on Netflix.

Rent/buy The Flash Season 3 digitally on Amazon.

Rent/buy The Flash Season 7 digitally on Amazon.

The Ant-Man Movies (2015, 2018)

David Dastmalchian put on a Russian accent to star in 2015’s Ant-Man as Kurt, a hacker who helps Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) steal a self-shrinking suite that would become his superhero uniform. The character returned three years later in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp as a reformed security consultant for the company he starts with Luis (Michael Peña) and Dave (Clifford “T.I.” Harris). It appears that Kurt will not be a part of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but Dastmalchian is reprising him on What If…? for Disney+.

Stream Ant-Man on Disney+.

Stream Ant-Man and the Wasp on Disney+.

Rent/buy Ant-Man digitally on Amazon.

Rent/buy Ant-Man and the Wasp digitally on Amazon.

The Belko Experiment (2016)

Before he was cast in The Suicide Squad, David Dastmalchian’s first time working with James Gunn was on this twisted horror flick that appeals to the psychological thriller fan, the gorehound, and the office drone in all of us. While helmed by Wolf Creek director Greg McLean, Gunn wrote The Belko Experiment, in which eighty corporate employees become locked inside their office building where they are forced into a deadly challenge to become the last person standing by any means necessary. Dastmalchian and his The Suicide Squad co-star Michael Rooker have a lot of screen time together as a pair of maintenance workers roped into the carnage.

Stream The Belko Experiment on Pluto TV.

Rent/buy The Belko Experiment digitally on Amazon.

Prisoners (2013)

Before he was cast in Dune, David Dastmalchian’s first time working with Denis Villeneuve was on this twisted thriller that appeals to the desperate parental intuition in all of us. In the French-Canadian filmmaker’s first English-language feature, Prisoners, Hugh Jackman plays a man who goes to extremes in hopes to find his missing daughter. In another example of his reputation for small appearances with big outcomes, Dastmalchian received rave reviews for his role as a suspected child killer.

Stream Prisoners on Hulu.

Rent/buy Prisoners digitally on Amazon.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

David Dastmalchian would reunite with Denis Villeneuve for the first time in this stunning, dystopian sci-fi epic that makes us question what humanity lurks within the inhuman. In Blade Runner 2049, the acclaimed sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic, Ryan Gosling plays a cop tasked with hunting down and “retiring” artificially created beings known as Replicants who makes a discovery that shakes his world to its core. Without giving too much away, David Dastmalchian makes a couple of appearances as an LAPD lab technician who helps Gosling’s character make said discovery.

Stream Blade Runner 2049 on HBO Max.

Rent/buy Blade Runner 2049 digitally on Amazon.

From small screen superhero spectacles to big screen epics of huge tonal variety, David Dastmalchian’s career is truly to die for.

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First introduced in DC Comics in 1962, Polka-Dot Man has spent most of his supervillain career as punchline – recognized as one of the sillier villains in Batman's famous rogues gallery – but the character's profile has now changed in a major way. Writer/director James Gunn reinvented the dot-flinging antagonist in his phenomenal blockbuster The Suicide Squad, the role played by David Dastmalchian, and he has emerged as a favorite among the members of the deep ensemble. As much as Dastmalchian's fan-base has grown since the release of the movie, however, it's only going to get bigger thanks to some of his most recent social media posts.

Posting on his personal Instagram page, David Dastmalchian has revealed an amazing story about how he adopted a stray cat he found while shooting The Suicide Squad on location in Panama. The pet – whom he has named Abner Bubblegum Polka Dot Cat (Bubblegum for short) – not only became a part of the actor's family via the production, but she even got his very own custom made costume. Check it out in the photo gallery below:

According to David Dastmalchian's caption, the special cat version of the Polka-Dot Man suit was made by Judianna Makovsky, who was the costume designer on The Suicide Squad – and it's a beautiful piece of work. Not only does it appear to be made from the exact same materials as the actual suit in the film, but those goggles and the belt are amazing. What's additionally impressive is that Bubblegum doesn't seem to mind wearing it at all.

Photos of David Dastmalchian's cat aren't the only ones inspiring "awws" on his social media, though. The actor also shared a shot from a day when his kids had the chance to visit the set during production and see their father dressed up as a supervillain/superhero:

Of course, David Dastmalchian's family should be accustomed to seeing him as a part of superhero movies at this point, as he has been making them for more than a decade now. In addition to his role as Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad, DC fans will recall his memorable roles on the television series Gotham and in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. He's also notably one of the few stars who is part of both the DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he is part of the supporting ensemble in the Ant-Man and the Wasp movies.

If you haven't seen The Suicide Squad yet, and are just here for the cat photos, do yourself a favor and check it out, as it is not just one of the best blockbusters of the summer, but one of the best films of 2021 thus far. The film is currently playing in theaters, and is also now streaming on HBO Max.

The Suicide Squad is set to be released this Friday, and while there are a number of things about the film that have been kept very hush-hush, one major aspect that is in no way a secret is that not everyone in the cast is going to make it out of the action alive. Writer/director James Gunn has made some notable promises about a significant body count generated from the large ensemble of DC characters, and fans everywhere are excited to find out who lives and who dies.

But what if their fates weren’t left in the hands of Gunn? What if instead each character in the new movie had the chance to choose their own ideal exit from the mortal coil? Well, by watching the video above you’ll discover what that version of The Suicide Squad might have looked like.

Late last month I had the pleasure of interviewing the cast of The Suicide Squad during the new blockbuster’s virtual press day, and I asked everyone the same spoiler-free question: if your character could choose their ideal death, what would it be? The answers I got were not only appropriate for each of the characters in question, but fun, diverse, and funny.

As you’d expect, there are a few blaze of glory options taken, but even within that there is still a certain variety. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, for example, is looking to go down not unlike Al Pacino’s Tony Montana in Scarface, and Idris Elba envisions Bloodsport receiving a fatal blow only after a marathon on the battlefield that takes every ounce of strength out of him.

Both Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 and Nathan Fillion’s T.D.K. would prefer to pass away peacefully in their sleep, which certainly makes them the most sensible members of the cast.

My favorite responses, though, are the super weird ones. David Dastmalchian sees the superlative death for Polka-Dot Man coming as a result of an overdose on Candy Dots, which would give him a nice little sugar high to counterbalance his depressive emotional state; John Cena sees Peacemaker going out in pure rock star fashion (leaving the rest to the imagination); and Mayling Ng feels that Mongal’s best ending would come as a result of her literally crushing a planet between her legs. And as for Flula Borg’s Javelin and Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang… you should really watch the video.

Starring all of the actors mentioned above along with Viola Davis, Sylvester Stallone, Alice Braga, Michael Rooker, Steve Agee, Peter Capaldi, Pete Davidson, and more, The Suicide Squad is arriving both in theaters and on HBO Max this Friday, August 6. The film is the best blockbuster we’ve seen thus far this summer, and one of the must-sees of 2021. Check it out, and be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend after, as we have plenty more fun content coming your way.

Frank Herbert's Dune is full of incredible larger than life characters. In some cases, that's literally true. When Denis Villeneuve's film adaptation finally arrives later this year an incredible ensemble cast will be tasked with bringing them all to life. Some of these character will be good and noble, to a fault quite often. While others will be the epitome of evil. David Dastmalchian will be handling one of those roles when he plays Piter De Vries. The actor admits that creating such a twisted character was difficult for him, but he also makes him sound incredibly compelling.

Piter De Vries, while technically a human, is a very unique character in the Dune story as he is something called a Mentat-- essentially a living computer. He's also, very clearly, pure evil. These two factors come together to create one of the more chilling, and strange characters in the book. David Dastmalchian recently spoke with Slashfilm about the role, and the way that he found to access the character that helped him get a handle on his performance. According to Dastmalchian...

In Dune, Mentats are trained from a young age to be able to use their minds in ways that rival computers. They can analyze data just as quickly and they're able to understand people at a fundamental level. By knowing how certain people think, they can predict behavior, and thus are able to very nearly control events. While Piter De Vries works for Baron Harkonnen in Dune, it's really De Vries who comes up with the plan that sets the action of Dune in motion.

While David Dastmalchian may be playing a pretty terrible person, he seems to relish the opportunity. He's clearly a big fan of Dune, and he's also a big fan of his director Denis Villeneuve, so it's clear the actor had a blast making this movie. Dastmalchian continues...

Most would agree that Dune is one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written. It's able to create not only a memorable planet where most of the action takes place. It's able to set that planet into an entire universe of politics and intrigue that feels complete and entirely real. It's because of all that that Dune has been so difficult to capture on screen in the past. Whether Denis Villeneuve finally cracked this complex story for the big screen is a huge question and we'll find out this October.

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Most actors are lucky enough when they score a role in one comic book movie or TV show, but David Dastmalchian has been around the block with this genre. His first film role was in 2008’s The Dark Knight, and in the years since, not only has he played Kurt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ant-Man movies, but also appeared in multiple other DC Comics projects, most recently voicing Calendar Man in the Batman: The Long Halloween animated movies and playing Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad. But even with such an extensive DC resume, there are still some notable villains from that corner of the superhero realm he’s eager to play.

During my interview with David Dastmalchian about his experience on Batman: The Long Halloween - Part One, I inquired about if there were any DC characters he was interested in playing down the road, be it in live-action or animation. The actor responded:

Let’s go over David Dastmalchian’s DC Comics bonafides quickly. In The Dark Knight, he played Thomas Schiff, a paranoid schizophrenic who worked for The Joker and shared a memorable scene with Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhardt. Fast-forward nine years, Dastmalchian jumped into the DC TV realm to play Dwight (the man who resurrected Jerome Valeska) in two episodes of Gotham and Abra Kadabra on The Flash, a role he reprised back in March. Now we’re getting to see/hear him perform Polk-Dot Man and Calendar Man in the span of months, and additionally, Batman: The Long Halloween - Part Two provided Dastmalchian the opportunity for Dastmalchian to voice Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin.

So that’s six DC characters, both original and established, in the span of 13 years, which is most impressive. And while David Dastmalchian is obviously thankful he was selected to perform these roles, he’s nonetheless eager to leave his mark on Scarecrow (a.k.a. Jonathan Crane), Mad Hatter (a.k.a. Jervis Tetch) and Solomon Grundy, three illustrious members of Batman’s rogues gallery. While it’s easy enough to imagine Dastmalchian voicing any of these roles in animation, given that Matt Reeves’ The Batman is set outside of the DCEU, I can also see him playing either Scarecrow or Mad Hatter in one of that movie’s sequels or HBO Max’s GCPD series.

For now though, you can hear David Dastmalchian’s first outing as Calendar Man in Batman: The Long Halloween - Part One. Then you can listen to Dastmalchian’s Penguin alongside another round of Julian Day in Batman: The Long Halloween - Part Two, which releases on digital download July 27, followed by the Blu-ray and DVD copies on August 10. Finally, on August 6, Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man will debut in The Suicide Squad, which will play in both theaters and on HBO Max.

You can also see David Dastmalchian playing Peter de Vries in Dune, which has been pushed back to October 22. Keep track of the other movies arriving in the latter half of the year with our 2021 release schedule.

After two and a half decades existing as an exceptional comic book story, Batman: The Long Halloween is now being adapted across two direct-to-video animated movies. Part One arrives next next week, and among its talented voice cast is Supernatural star Jensen Ackles playing Bruce Wayne/Batman and Dune star David Dastmalchian playing Julian Day, a.k.a. Calendar Man. Just like in the original Long Halloween, Calendar Man plays an integral role in Batman’s investigation into the serial killer Holiday, as seen in this exclusive Part One clip.

Rather than cross paths with him out in the Gotham City wild like Batman: The Long Halloween’s other supervillains, Batman comes face-to-face with Calendar Man while the latter is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. But even “behind bars,” Calendar Man is all too willing to toy with the Caped Crusader. Watch for yourself below.

Now, to anyone who’s unfamiliar with the Batman mythos, Calendar Man emphasizing the word “joke” might just seem like a weird speech choice. But everyone else will instantly think up the most prominent member of Batman’s rogues gallery. While we don’t see what happens next in this scene, given that Troy Baker is voicing The Joker in both parts of Batman: The Long Halloween, it’s reasonable to assume that at this point in Part One, we’re not far off from seeing the Clown Prince of Crime wreak havoc.

Set during Bruce Wayne’s early years as Batman, Batman: The Long Halloween follows Gotham City’s Dark Knight trying to apprehend Holiday, who is murdering people associated with the Falcone crime family on holidays. Along with the aforementioned actors, The Long Halloween, Part One also stars the late Naya Rivera as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, Billy Burke as James Gordon, Titus Welliver as Carmine Falcone, Julie Nathanson as Gilda Dent and Jack Quaid as Alberto Falcone, among others. Chris Palmer directed the feature and Tim Sheridan wrote the script.

Batman: The Long Halloween is third time classic DC Comics storyline that’s been adapted across two animated movies. This first happened in 2013 with The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 and Part 2, followed by The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Going back to Jensen Ackles and David Dastmalchian, Long Halloween is just the latest of their go-arounds in DC territory. Ackles previously voiced Jason Todd, a.k.a. Red Hood, in 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood, while Dastmalchian has appeared in The Dark Knight, Gotham and The Flash, and will star as Polka-Dot Man later this year in The Suicide Squad.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One will arrive both digitally and in disc form on June 22. Then you’ll be able to buy Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two digitally starting July 27, followed by the Blu-ray and DVD copies coming on August 10.

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Five years after the Suicide Squad make their theatrical debut, the officially-designated Task Force X will soon return to the big screen, this time under James Gunn’s creative vision. Among the many new characters the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker added to the team is Abner Krill, a.k.a. Polka-Dot Man, played by The Dark Knight and Ant-Man actor David Dastmalchian. Although the public has a little under two months to go until they can see the R-rated The Suicide Squad, Dastmalchian has already seen the movie, and his reaction to it has us jazzed for its release.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with David Dastmalchian about his turn as Julian Day, a.k.a. Calendar Man, in the animated direct-to-video film Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, but I also inquired about his other contribution to the DC Comics media landscape this year. When I asked Dastmalchian if he’d watched The Suicide Squad yet, the actor responded:

James Gunn revealed in February that The Suicide Squad was completed, and David Dastmalchian isn’t the only actor who’s gotten to see the movie in the months to follow. Both Flula Borg, who plays Javelin, and Joel Kinnaman, who reprises Rick Flag, also praised The Suicide Squad, with the latter saying he was “struck by how well it flowed.” The Suicide Squad marks Dastmalchian’s second time working on a James Gunn-reltaed project, having previously starred in The Belko Experiment, which Gunn wrote and produced.

With Polka-Dot Man being one of the more obscure Batman villains who has barely been explored outside of the comics, The Suicide Squad will introduce the character to a lot of people. While David Dastmalchian was unwilling to divulge any specific details on what we can expect from his version of Polka-Dot Man, he did say the following about getting to work on the 10th DCEU movie:

Polka-Dot Man is just one of many DC characters who are being brought to the cinematic realm for the first time in The Suicide Squad, with other newcomers including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher and King Shark, to name a few. In addition to his directorial duties, James Gunn also wrote the script and is currently working on a Peacemaker spinoff series for HBO Max. The Suicide Squad charges into theaters on August 6, but like the rest of Warner Bros’ 2021 film slate, you’ll also be able to watch it on HBO Max with no additional charge for one month.

As for David Dastmalchian, you can hear him voicing Calendar Man in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One, which comes out on June 22. He’ll reprise that role, as well as voice Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two in late July rolls. Dastmalchian also stars Piter De Vries in Dune, which comes out in October.

Of all the bizarre characters appearing in writer and director James Gunn’s rebootquel, seeing Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad is so odd and unexpected that it almost seems like a joke on the audience. Believe it or not, the nearly 60-year history of this recurring DC Comics villain and secrets behind his otherwise laughable gimmick make me surprised he has not appeared in any DC movies already.

To clarify, Polka-Dot Man briefly appeared in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie alongside Condiment King, Kite Man, and other rogues you might have initially assumed were made up. Now, experienced comic book adaptation veteran David Dastmalchian (known for The Dark Knight, the Ant-Man movies, and a guest spot on Gotham, just to name a few) has joined The Suicide Squad cast to portray the character in his live-action movie debut. But, before the often mocked antagonist receives his highest honor to date, we should also do him justice by becoming more acquainted with him before The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max this August, starting with his very batty beginnings.

Polka-Dot Man Is A Batman Villain Introduced By Another Name

Before he came to be known as Polka-Dot Man, Detective Comics #300 introduced him (fairly accurately) as “the bizarre” Mister Polka-Dot in February 1962. The alter ego of Abner Krill was the collective brainchild of artist Sheldon Moldoff and writer and Batman-co-creator Bill Finger, which is fitting since his debut also depicted his first encounter with the Dark Knight and Robin.

As we have already established quite well, Polka-Dot Man is one of several “unusual” villains (putting it lightly) to emerge in the Silver Age of DC Comics, and especially in Batman’s rogues gallery, with a ridiculous quirk or gimmick that has them as the butt of many jokes ever since. However, those who mock him must not realize the fascinatingly wide range of his abilities and just how dangerous of a supervillain he can be.

Polka-Dot Man’s Polka-Dots Double As His Utilities

It is easy to understand why the average comic book movie fan would take one look at Polka-Dot Man’s bright, multi-colored jumpsuit and laugh at him as if he were a sad birthday clown. Yet, if they knew what those polka-dots were capable of, I assure you that they would be the sad ones.

Each one of the colorful dots on Polka-Dot Man’s uniform can be removed and, with the use of a controller device on his belt, can literally transform into a gadget of his choosing before disintegrating to leave no trace. The villain has been able to use his dots as weapons or even getaway vehicles like a flying saucer. Batman and Robin would discover this after narrowly escaping death by a polka-dot that turned into a red buzzsaw right before their eyes.

Many Of Polka-Dot Man’s Crimes Are Related To His Gimmick

You have to admit that Abner Krill’s ability to turn an absurd gimmick into an advantage in evil-doing is impressive. However, it's a slight disadvantage to him because, like how Two-Face compulsively does everything in twos or Calendar Man only works on holidays, most of Polka-Dot Man’s offenses have something to do with dots.

He would actually prove to be not too strict about how to relate his crimes to dots or what could even be considered a dot, as when he robbed Gotham’s Domino Game Factory or sent a cryptic map with dots indicating his possible hideouts to Batman. In fact, Robin came close to tracking down the hideout with the help of a spotted leopard. Silver Age Batman managed to craft a healthy amount of dot puns when finally apprehending him, and a “dot” of sorts would even be what sealed Polka-Dot Man’s ultimate downfall. However, before we get to that, we should cover the events that led him to that crushing blow.

Polka-Dot Man Once Lost Use Of His Polka-Dots After Going Broke

To bring up Two-Face again, you know how Harvey Dent is pretty much a lost, helpless ball of indecision without his coin? The equivalent to that, in essence, would be Polka-Dot Man losing the use of his utility dots, which is exactly what happens in the first issue of Batman: GCPD in 1996.

Out of work for years and penniless, Abner Krill was desperate for a redemptive crime spree, but could not afford to create any more utility polka-dots, forcing him to use a baseball bat to hold up a jewelry store. Out of his peak vexation for costumed criminals, Gotham City detective Harvey Bullock beat the living crap out of Polka-Dot Man instead of arresting him for the robbery. Upon recovery, Krill fell deep into alcoholism, accepting living out his years as a joke within Gotham’s criminal underbelly.

Polka-Dot Man Was, Technically, Killed By A Dot

Abner Krill would get a second chance to shine as Polka-Dot Man after Batman disappeared during DC Comics’ Final Crisis storyline event in 2009. He became part of a team of other strange supervillains, including the aforementioned Condiment King, and Professor Milo (another creation of Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff), led by Doom Patrol villain General Immortus, who offered the rogues enhanced abilities and equipment in exchange for being his experimental subjects.

After frequent Martian Manhunter enemy Human Flame betrayed Immortus, he sent Polka-Dot Man after him. The incendiary criminal then lit a gas line under the city streets that sent a manhole cover flying toward him, fatally crushing his head. Since a manhole cover could be seen as a dot, you could consider this one of the most ironic DC character deaths on record.

Since James Gunn has already filled us in on the fact that some The Suicide Squad characters have a better chance of surviving the movie than others, I wonder how David Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man will fair among the other rogues. I mean, seeing him fall prey to Amanda Waller’s explosive head implants could be an interesting way to pay homage to his fate in the comics, but only if it was punishment for stealing a polka-dotted item out of her closet or if, when his head explodes, the blood spatter forms into a perfect polka-dotted pattern. Otherwise, I would vote to keep the weirdo around and see what other “bizarre” adventures he could bring to the future of the DCEU.

Fans have been waiting an exceptionally long time for the new blockbuster adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. To say nothing of the decades of failed attempts at getting the project off the ground, Denis Villeneuve’s movie wrapped production all the way back in July 2019, and it has required quite a lot of patience anticipating the film’s big screen arrival. We’ll finally get our chance to see the movie in October, as it will be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, but if one wanted to illustrate how long it has been since principal photography was completed, one could point to all of the major projects that the cast will have already filmed by the time Dune comes out.

In this case, that “one” happens to be us, and you’ll find said illustration below. Stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, David Dastmalchian and Dave Bautista have definitely kept busy since the sci-fi epic wrapped, and they’ve been working on some films that we’re exceptionally excited to see.

Don’t Look Up (Timothee Chalamet)

Writer/director Adam McKay has an impressive knack for putting together spectacular ensembles, and one could make a solid argument that he has assembled his best yet for the new Netflix movie Don’t Look Up. The movie, which is already in post-production after filming started last November, is as star-studded as they come, with a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Mark Rylance, Jonah Hill, Gina Gershon, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, and more. Oh, and also Dune star Timothee Chalamet

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We’re terrifically excited to see what kind of role Chalemet plays in Don’t Look Up, which follows a pair of scientists who travel the globe trying to warn people about a meteor on a course to destroy the planet, but Dune should be a film that sees the actor hit a new stratosphere in his career. He plays the lead in the blockbuster – a young man named Paul Atreides who travels with his family to a vast desert planet and finds himself at the center of an expansive conflict and a powerful prophecy.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Zendaya)

It’s no easy task to film a Spider-Man movie, as the production schedule is stretched over multiple months, and yet Zendaya had the opportunity to complete one while the world still awaits her performance as Chani in Dune. In Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: No Way Home she will be reprising her role as MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and while we know going into the blockbuster that her relationship with Peter Parker will be “official,” there hasn’t been anything else revealed about her part in the plot.

As for Dune, Zendaya has admitted that we won’t actually see a lot of her in the upcoming blockbuster – but that makes plenty of sense when you consider that Chani doesn’t really become a central character in the story until the second half of the book (and the new movie will mostly be focusing on the first half). Just because she doesn’t have a ton of screen time doesn’t mean that she’s not incredibly important, though, as she is literally the girl of Paul Atreides’ dreams.

Mission: Impossible 7 (Rebecca Ferguson)

There was a long stretch of time when the Mission: Impossible franchise would essentially rotate out all of its female leads – with Emmanuelle Béart, Thandiwe Newton, Maggie Q, and Paula Patton each only having one go on missions deemed impossible – but Rebecca Ferguson broke that unfortunate trend when Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’sIlsa Faust returned for more action in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Soon we’ll get to see her back again in Christopher McQuarrie’s upcoming and untitled Mission: Impossible 7… which actually managed to start and complete production (delays and all) in the time between the last day on the Dune set and now.

Though Rebecca Ferguson is in reality only 12 years older than Timothee Chalamet, she’ll be playing Paul Atreides’ mother, Lady Jessica in Dune. A rebellious member of the order known as the Bene Gesserit (a group of women with superhuman abilities resulting from years of physical and mental conditioning), Jessica is a determined and strong-willed maternal figure with a massive role in her son’s journey.

The Suicide Squad (David Dastmalchian)

When it comes to comic book adaptations, few have a resume as impressively diverse as David Dastmalchian, whose credits include The Dark Knight, Gotham, The Flash, and the Ant-Man And The Wasp movies. As such, it’s not really all that surprising that he’s added yet another one to his filmography with the upcoming The Suicide Squad, but what is surprising is that the upcoming James Gunn blockbuster will have gone through production, editing and release all in the time since Dune wrapped filming.

What makes this particular section particularly fun is the fact that David Dastmalchian’s roles in The Suicide Squad and Dune are vastly different. Based on the footage we’ve seen, the actor’s performance as weirdo supervillain Polka-Dot Man in the former seems Eeyore-esque, while we expect that the latter will see him make for an extra creepy and sinister Piter De Vries (a key advisor to the movie’s central antagonist, Baron Harkonnen).

Army Of The Dead (Dave Bautista)

Unlike Zendaya, Dave Bautista hasn’t had the opportunity to film his next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (mostly because James Gunn has been busy working with David Dastmalchian on The Suicide Squad), but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t kept busy in the time since Dune completed production. Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead actually started shooting the same month that Denis Villeneuve’s movie finished, and it will be arriving for audience consumption a little over four months earlier.

Army Of The Dead will feature Dave Bautista as one of the protagonists, but that very much won’t be the case in Dune, where he will be portraying the brutish Glossu 'Beast' Rabban. The nephew of Baron Harkonnen, he operates as a kind of enforcer, and he has a particular love of violence and cruelty. Don’t expect to see much of Bautista’s charm and charisma on display.

We’re looking forward to all of the movies mentioned here, but we’re also very much keeping our eyes on the prize. Dune, at long last, will be playing day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max on October 1, and you can get all of the details about the adaptation from our What We Know So Far guide.

Out of all the new TV shows coming soon to Disney+, the one that I think I am most looking forward to is What If…?, inspired by the comic book of the same name. It is described as a 10-episode animated anthology series that reimagines key events canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe had things gone a little different. If that is not enough to surprise you, outside of first time Marvel actor Jeffrey Wright hosting the show Rod Serling-style as The Watcher, all of the MCU characters said to appear will be played by their original actors. I am certain that sparks a great deal of questions in your mind and I will be sure provide all the answers that I can in the following breakdown of every actor confirmed to lend their voice to the highly anticipated series, starting with the man who brought most of these characters together.

Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)

It would be wrong to not include Samuel L. Jackson on a trippy, Marvel-inspired anthology as the voice of Nick Fury, although how the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director (also leading his own upcoming live action Disney+ series, Secret Invasion) will be depicted on What If…? has yet to be revealed.

Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)

We might be able to infer from the first trailer for What If…? that Nick Fury will discover a frozen Peggy Carter (played once again by Hayley Atwell), who will be reimagined on the series as the Army’s choice for the Super Soldier Program instead of Steve Rogers, which, I suppose, would make her Captain Britain.

Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark)

Real-life Brit Dominic Cooper returns to play Iron Man’s father and S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Howard Stark (circa 1942) for the first time since the short-lived Agent Carter series, but to see Hayley Atwell’s character become a Super Soldier on What If…? this time.

Stanley Tucci (Dr. Abraham Erskine)

I wonder if the developer of the original Super Soldier Serum, German-born ally to the U.S. Army Dr. Abraham Erskine (voiced by Oscar-nominee Stanley Tucci), will suffer the same tragic fate on What If…? as he did in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.

Toby Jones (Arnim Zola)

That being said, I am also curious if British Golden Globe-nominee Toby Jones’ reprisal of Arnim Zola, a Swiss HYDRA scientist and right hand man of Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull, will appear in his 1940s era human form, as a computer in the present day, or something completely different on What If…?

Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan)

I mean, for all we know, Arrowverse star Neal McDonough’s return to the role of Sergeant Timothy Alloysius Cadwaller "Dum Dum" Dugan (the subsequent leader of the Howling Commandos after Steve Rogers’ supposed demise) on What If…? could see him become the Winter Soldier instead of Bucky Barnes.

Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier)

However, Bucky Barnes will appear as The Winter Soldier (voiced by Sebastian Stan, of course) on What If…?, and, based on the trailer, he seems to have taken on the role of a savior of the apocalypse against the long-awaited appearance of Marvel Zombies.

Frank Grillo (Crossbones)

Speaking of Marvel Zombies, I think there are few MCU characters better equipped (literally) to take on an army of the undead than Frank Grillo’s corrupt former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Brock Rumlow, whose brief reign as the armored terrorist Crossbones in Captain America: Civil War will, supposedly, be given an extension in some capacity on What If…?

Michael Douglas (Dr. Hank Pym/Ant-Man)

Seeing 76-year-old Oscar-winner Michael Douglas credited as the voice of both Hank Pym and Ant-Man has me curious if we are destined to see more of the brilliant scientist in his crimefighting days on the series and, considering much of the original Ultron’s creator’s arc in the MCU has already been a big What If…? story in itself.

Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man)

Of course, Paul Rudd is coming back to voice the MCU’s present-day Ant-Man, Scott Lang, as well, but besides also being credited as the incredibly shrinking Avenger in the cast list, I cannot find any preceding issues of the What If…? comic to give me any insight as to where his story on the series may lead him.

David Dastmalchian (Kurt)

There may, however, be a clue to Scott Lang’s role on What If…? is the inclusion of serial comic book adaptation star David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight, The Flash, Gotham, the upcoming The Suicide Squad) returning as fellow reformed criminal Kurt from the Ant-Man movies, but there is not much else to infer from that.

Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger)

Furthermore, I have no idea where to even begin when considering the possibilities of how What If…? will reexamine the already complex origins of Erik Killmonger when Michael B. Jordan returns to voice the Black Panther villain.

Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye)

Clint Barton’s frequent, but subtle, reminiscing with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow in the Avengers movies has always made me curious to see him in his pre-Hawkeye days as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and there is a chance that Jeremy Renner’s vocal reprisal on What If…? could touch upon that.

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk)

With how often we can easily assume Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has imagined what his life would be if had he never become the Hulk, it is not too far-fetched to infer that What If…? may take advantage of that opportunity, considering Avengers: Endgame already lived out the “Professor Hulk” scenario.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor)

On the other hand, there is much that could be expanded on with Hulk’s time on Sakaar before Chris Hemsworth showed up in Thor: Ragnarok, which could be a major source of inspiration for either he or Bruce Banner’s story reinventions on What If…? considering the inclusion of the next couple of characters.

Jeff Goldblum (The Grandmaster)

Anyone who has ached to see more from Jeff Goldblum’s dazzling performance in Thor: Ragnarok is in luck as The Grandmaster does have a role in What If…?

Taika Waititi (Korg)

Another scene-stealer from Thor: Ragnarok (and Avengers: Endgame, too) whom we can be thankful to know is in What If…? is Korg, once again voiced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, who will also be directing and starring in the upcoming fourth installment, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Tom Hiddleston (Loki)

I do have another theory, however, that Thor may not even be the star of his What If…? episode and instead instead take the backseat in a story that sees Loki (voiced by Tom Hiddleston) claiming Mjolnir first, which would take inspiration from a real issue of the original comic book series from 1984.

Natalie Portman (Jane Foster)

If that turns out to be case, maybe What If…? will see leading astrophysicist Jane Foster fall in love with Loki instead of Thor, considering we already know that Natalie Portman will be making a live action return to the role in Thor: Love and Thunder as Chris Hemsworth’s successor to the “mighty” God of Thunder title.

Josh Brolin (Thanos)

It was “inevitable” that this series would have a place for Josh Brolin to come back as Thanos, who actually joined the Avengers in a 2015 issue of What If…?, although I would be interested to see an episode imagining the post-Decimation world had it not been reversed in Avengers: Endgame.

Karen Gillan (Nebula)

There is plenty to be inspired by in Thanos’ rocky relationship with his daughter, Nebula, for her story on What If…?, such as imagining Karen Gillan’s partially robotic warrior as the purple Titan’s favorite child over Gamora instead.

Djimon Hounsou (Korath)

After witnessing two awfully different portrayals of Korath the Pursuer as a merciless henchman to Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy and a more soft-spoken Starforce operative in Captain Marvel, I am very intrigued to see what Djimon Hounsou will bring the role on What If…?

Michael Rooker (Yondu Udonta)

Based on his brief appearance in the What If…? trailer, former Walking Dead star Michael Rooker does not seem to be changing much about his country-fried depiction of Ravager leader Yondu Udonta from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies on the series, which is just what I was hoping for.

Sean Gunn (Kraglin)

Other than starring alongside Michael Rooker in his brother’s new take on The Suicide Squad, 2021 will see Sean Gunn lending his voice to What If…? as his second most famous MCU character (after performing the motion capture for Rocket Raccoon), Kraglin.

Chris Sullivan (Taserface)

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kraglin would come to regret allowing Yondu’s Ravager faction to be usurped by Taserface, the hilariously nicknamed scene-stealer whom Emmy-nominated This Is Us star Chris Sullivan will reprise on What If…?

Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa)

Before his devastating death in 2020, Chadwick Boseman was able to portray his Black Panther character one last time for one of the most fascinating concepts to be seen in What If…?: T’Challa as Star-Lord.

What do you think? Has it been your dream for Black Panther to become a Guardian of the Galaxy for a while now, or that does barely scratch the surface of what you want to see on this highly imaginative upcoming series? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on What If…?, as well as even more inside looks at what to expect from your favorite upcoming comic book movies and TV shows, here on CinemaBlend.

It looks like the titular crew of The Suicide Squad is undergoing some major changes. Fans need not worry about losing favorites like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Academy Award-winner Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag and even Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang. Yet, they should expect writer-director James Gunn’s new take on DC’s villainous crew of forced vigilantes to introduce a lot more characters into the mix (and I mean a lot more).

While there is still much being kept under wraps about the story of this new film we hesitate to call a sequel, which is set for a theatrical release of August 6, 2021, the DC FanDome event recently revealed nearly every previously unknown role that the star-studded cast (including Idris Elba and Nathan Fillion) are playing. While most of these characters are making their first official jump from comic books onto the screen, all of them are making their cinematic debuts in The Suicide Squad, and many of them may surprise you by their mere existence alone.

So who are the latest baddies to join Task Force X, what can we learn from their comic book origins and what should we expect from them in the upcoming film? Let’s take a deeper look at all 13 of these fresh faces to find out.

Bloodsport (Idris Elba)

While Idris Elba was originally cast to replace Will Smith as Deadshot in The Suicide Squad, it was later decided to have him play a different kind of gun-toting baddie named Bloodsport. Born Robert DuBois, the expert marksman first appeared in a 1987 issue of Superman as a draft dodger who suffered a mental breakdown following his brother’s grave injuries in Vietnam. His affiliation with Task Force X came after hewas jailed for shooting the Man of Steel with Kryptonite bullets provided by Lex Luthor, which the cast’s DC FanDome panel hinted will be a plot point in the film.

Peacemaker (John Cena)

Another DC character with canonical ties to Vietnam is Peacemaker, the alter ego of Austrian-born Christopher Smith (née Schmidt), who is still designated as a superhero, but his willingness to kill in the name of peace makes him a good candidate for Task Force X. Not to mention the fact that this paroled war criminal is a schizophrenic who believes his helmet traps the souls of his victims (much like Katana’s sword) with violent tendencies often derived from his bipolar disorder. Meanwhile, in the behind-the-scenes footage released during DC Fandome, John Cena simply refers to his The Suicide Squad role as “douchey Captain America.”

The Thinker (Peter Capaldi)

Speaking of more despicable takes on Marvel characters from DC, imagine if Charles Xavier had used Cerebro for more sinister purposes. In the most basic ways, that description matches Clifford DeVoe, better known as The Thinker, whose “Thinking Cap” gives him superior intellect and telekinetic abilities. The New 52’s more nightmarish character design, a man of unknown origin with mind-enhancing technology built directly into his skull in lieu of a helmet, seems to have inspired former Doctor Who actor Peter Calpadi’s portrayal, as evident by his appearance in The Suicide Squad cast roll call video unveiled during the DC Fandome.

Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian)

Having already made comic book history for being part of the MCU, the Dark Knight trilogy, Fox’s Gotham series and the Arrowverse, actor David Dastmalchian will enter his fifth realm of franchise continuity with The Suicide Squad, where he plays the first live action iteration of Polka-Dot Man. The conceptually ridiculous, yet dangerous alter-ego of Abner Krill first appeared in Detective Comics #300 as Mister Polka-Dot, who took on Batman with a special suit comprised of multi-colored, removable polka-dots that can be used for a variety of purposes, from deadly weapons to getaway vehicles. How that has not been given the big screen treatment until now, I will never understand.

Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior)

The official reveal of 23-year-old Portuguese actress Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2 in The Suicide Squad certainly piques our curiosity, as it suggests the role is more than your typical gender-swap. The original Ratcatcher was Otis Flannegan, a convicted murderer who turned against his responsibilities as a Gotham City exterminator to instead become a leader of the rodents he was tasked to kill, training them as his attack minions. How this second generation of rat royalty may relate to Flannegan is unclear, but a blink-and-you-miss-it shot from the behind-the-scenes sneak peak hints that Melchior’s character may be his daughter.

Blackguard (Pete Davidson)

An explanation for Pete Davidson’s blonde hair on Saturday Night Live finally came with the confirmation that he plays Blackguard in The Suicide Squad. Originally a small-time thug of lower intelligence named Richard Hertz, he became a top enemy of Booster Gold under his more famous and less embarrassingly suggestive moniker after crime syndicate The 1,000 fitted him with a powerful suit of armor. The reveal of the The King of Staten Island star’s role in the comic book movie comes a few months after hinting he wore “a big, uncomfortable suit,” and “got to hold Glocks,” which was just enough to rightfully keep fans in the dark.

Savant (Michael Rooker)

Because it would not be a James Gunn movie without his good-luck charm Michael Rooker, the actor who played Yondu in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, appears in The Suicide Squad as Savant. That's the alter-ego of billionaire Brian Durlin, who originally aspired to be a Gotham vigilante, only to be apprehended and discouraged by his hero, Batman. That subsequently inspired him to turn to the dark side. It appears that Rooker’s portrayal of the professional blackmailer, who has made enemies with criminals and heroes alike, is based on The New 52, which sees Savant as a Task Force X member in his darkest interpretation yet.

King Shark (Steve Agee)

The shark-like humanoid being Nanaue, better known as King Shark, has been a staple of the Suicide Squad since the dawn of The New 52, joining around the same time his arch-enemy Superboy tagged along for a mission. The son of the Shark God has a slew of superpowers ranging from your typical speed and stamina to regenerative health, and he will be making his cinematic debut in The Suicide Squad after The CW’s The Flash marked his first live action appearance. Playing Shark King in mo-cap is comedian Steve Agee, but since no new information on Taika Waititi’s role in the film has been revealed, people are speculating the New Zealand-born, Oscar-winning filmmaker may provide the voice.

Floyd “TDK” Belkin (Nathan Fillion)

Floyd Belkin has been known by a few aliases, including Splitter and (most memorably and hilariously) Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, but TDK seems to be a new one made just for The Suicide Squad, in which he will debut as played by another one of James Gunn’s frequent players, Nathan Fillion. Inspired by a fan-created parody hero that artist Curt Swan and writer Gerard Jones decided to make canon, the character was rejected by the Legion of Superheroes in his first appearance from 1989’s Secret Origins Vol. 2 #46. It appears he may have finally found a home with Task Force X, unless this is just another one of the actor’s brief cameos that Gunn tends to cast him in.

Weasel (Sean Gunn)

Upholding tradition established by his mo-cap performance as Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn cast his brother, Sean Gunn, as the aptly named Weasel in The Suicide Squad. However, it was not until The New 52 reboot that the villain was an actual furry creature, as he was originally introduced in the mid-1980s as John Monroe, a professor driven to murder the students who gave him the loathsome nickname “Weasel” while dressed as that very animal. He has a particularly violent history in the Squad, too, most notably for killing The Thinker, so perhaps we should expect a little animosity between them in the film.

The Javelin (Flula Borg)

Like Flula Borg, the comedic actor who plays him, The Javelin is a man of German origin who decided to use his athletic talents with the track and field device for evildoing instead of winning competitions for no clear reason. The supervillain, whose protection of his true identity is by far his most successful achievement, would join the Suicide Squad after Green Lantern defeated him, with his violent tendencies making worthy addition. However, Circe killed him with his own javelin in the War of the Gods storyline, so we will have to wait and see if this character’s namesake weapon ends up treating him better in the upcoming film.

Mongal (Mayling Ng)

Described as an “ally” of the Suicide Squad, we have Mongal, played by martial artist Mayling Ng, making her second DC appearance, after playing an Amazonian in Wonder Woman. The tyrannical alien from Debstam IV and daughter of Mongul the Elder is well known for luring Superman onto her father’s prison satellite called Warworld. Mongal would eventually become the queen of Almerac, her twin brother Mongal the Younger ended her reign by decapitating her.

Sol Soria (Alice Braga)

There is not much we can report on who Alice Braga is playing in The Suicide Squad, other than it not being Poison Ivy as previous rumors suggested, as no character name Sol Soria exists in the DC Comics continuity. However, it could be speculated that she is either a gender-flipped iteration or relative of Juan Soria, a Justice League reject with an [electronic skeleton key for a hand](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/JuanSoria(PrimeEarth), whose brief stint in a couple of _Suicide Squad comics in 2018 ended when Killer Croc ate him. Hopefully, Sol Soria is blessed with a different fate.

What do you think? Does this new ensemble show promise that Task Force X will return bigger and better than ever in The Suicide Squad, or does it look a bloated recipe for disaster? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on this comic book movie extravaganza, as well as even more in-depth looks at the most anticipated upcoming movies and TV shows, here on CinemaBlend.

The original Dune novel is one of the most acclaimed and influential pieces of sci-fi literature, and so far the tale has been adapted twice in live action. First, David Lynch got to play around with Frank Herbert's mythology for the 1984 Dune movie, and then the story was revisited in 2000 for the then-Sci-Fi Channel's miniseries, Frank Herbert's Dune (which was followed in 2003 by Frank Herbert's Children of Dune). Now Dune is finally returning to the big screen with Sicario and Arrival director Denis Villeneuve at the helm.

Denis Villeneuve has provided a few details about what to expect from his version of Dune, such as how the events of the first Dune novel will be told over two movies, but now the cast is also slowly coming together. Here are the actors who are headlining the project.

Timothée Chalamet

The first actor to be brought aboard for the Dune reboot was Timothée Chalamet, who has had en eventful two years. In 2017, he catapulted to fame for his performances in Call Me by Your Name, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination, and Lady Bird, and he also appeared in Hot Summer Nights and Hostiles that same year. In 2018, he only appeared in Beautiful Boy, but that was another big addition to his resume and he walked away with a Golden Globe nomination. For Dune, Chalamet has been tapped to play the main protagonist, Paul Atreides, who must lead a revolution to reclaim his family's rightful inheritance after it's stolen from them. This will be Chalamet's first time leading a blockbuster production, so even more people will learn just how talented he is.

Rebecca Ferguson

After striking it big on British TV as the lead of The White Queen, Rebecca Ferguson scored a role in the 2014, Dwayne Johnson-led fantasy film Hercules. The year after that, she played her most well-known cinematic character, Ilsa Faust, in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, whom she reprised last year in Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Ferguson's other notable credits include Florence Foster Jenkins, The Girl on the Train and The Greatest Showman, and in addition to Dune, her other upcoming movies include The Kid Who Would Be King, Men in Black: International and Doctor Sleep. But for the latest adaptation of Frank Herbert's work, she'll play Lady Jessica, Paul Atreides' mother, who convinces her son to seek help so that their family can overthrow their enemies.

Dave Bautista

Having already become an accomplished wrestler, Dave Bautista transitioned into acting, and once he was cast as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, his fame skyrocketed. In addition to reprising the socially inept warrior several other times within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bautista has also appeared in Spectre, Hotel Artemis and Blade Runner 2049, the latter of which was directed by Denis Villeneuve. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 indefinitely delayed, that afforded Bautista the opportunity to reunite with Villeneuve for Dune. Bautista is reportedly playing Glossu "Beast" Rabban, the sadistic, but not too bright nephew of Baron Harkonnen who aids his uncle with his nefarious schemes, including taking over Arrakis, which was previously controlled by the Atreides family. In other words, Bautista will be one of the villains.

Stellan Skarsgård

Next, we have Stellan Skarsgård. His biggest movie appearances include The Hunt for Red October, Good Will Hunting, Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), Mamma Mia! (and its sequel), the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean installments and Cinderella. Like Dave Bautista, he's also a member of the MCU, having played original character Erik Selvig four times. Skarsgård has been tapped to play Baron Harkonnen in Dune, the story's main antagonist. Having hated the Atreides family for a long time, he initiates a series of events that lead to Paul and Lady Jessica being forced to flee Arrakis, resulting in Harkonnen taking control of the planet. For this movie, Skarsgård's Harkonnen has been described as being less of a caricature and more of a predator, with the full-body prosthetics encasing the actor making him look like a "rhino in human form."

Charlotte Rampling

After that, we have Charlotte Rampling, whose primarily known for her work in European cinema. In 2016, she earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Kate Mercer in 45 Years, and in 2017 she earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing Frances Turner in the BBC miniseries London Spy. Rampling's resume also includes The Verdict, The Duchess, Dexter, Broadchurch and Red Sparrow. Rampling cast been cast in Dune to play Reverend Mother Mohiam, a soothsayer serving Emperor Shaddam IV who is capable of determining a person's intentions and if they're lying, as well as manipulate their emotions.

Oscar Isaac

Following her, we have Oscar Isaac, who will play Paul Atreides’ father, Leto, who is the Duke of the House Atreides. Leto is also the main character of the Prelude to Dune trilogy that was written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Among Isaac’s most notable credits are Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, X-Men: Apocalypse and Annihilation. He’ll appear later this year in Triple Frontier, The Addams Family and Star Wars: Episode IX.

Zendaya

Next on the list is Zendaya, who is being eyed to play Paul Atreides’ love interest, Chani, in Dune. Chani meets Paul and Lady Jessica when they’re forced to flee into Arrakis’ desert, and as she trains alongside the two, she and Paul build a connection. After making a splash on the Disney Channel leading the TV shows Shake it Up and K.C. Undercover, Zendaya has since made the jump to the big screen with Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Greatest Showman. Her other upcoming appearances include Spider-Man: Far From Home and the HBO series Euphoria.

Javier Bardem

Further proving that Denis Villeneuve is not playing around with assembling a top-notch cast for Dune, Javier Bardem eventually joined the proceedings. He will play Stilgar, the leader of the Sietch Tabr, one of the Fremen communities on the planet Arrakis. Just like with Chani, Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica meet him when they’re forced to flee into the planet’s desert. Bardem, who is arguably the most well-known actor announced for Dune so far, has an impressive acting resume filled with movies like No Country for Old Men, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Skyfall and Mother!, to name a few.

Josh Brolin

2018 was a big year for Josh Brolin. Along with debuting as Cable in Deadpool 2 and reprising Matt Graver in Sicario: Day of the Soldado, he also finally got to snag the spotlight as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and he’ll do so again this year in Avengers: Endgame. Now it looks like Brolin will be staying within the sci-fi realm, as he’s signed on to play Gurney Halleck in the Dune reboot, a role previously played by a pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation Patrick Stewart. Gurney is the warmaster for the Atreides family and a mentor to Paul, and continues to aid the family even after they’ve been overthrown.

Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa has finally hit it big in the realm of movies. Although he’d already made a name for himself on TV through shows like Baywatch: Hawaii, Stargate Atlantis, Game of Thrones and Frontier, his first attempt at playing a popular fictional character in a cinematic setting, Conan the Barbarian, didn’t go so well. Now, however, he’s the DC Extended Universe’s Aquaman, with the underwater-dwelling superhero’s standalone adventure becoming the highest-grossing DC Comics movie of all time. Now he's appearing in Dune as Duncan Idaho, a skilled swordsman who is fiercely loyal to House Atreides. Idaho, whom Momoa described as "Han Solo-esuqe," is the only character to appear in all of Frank Herbert’s six original Dune novels. So there’s a chance, as rare as it may be, that Momoa, could appear in a lot of Dune movies, assuming of course he’s cast and if any of those sequel stories are adapted to film.

David Dastmalchian

Making his film debut in The Dark Knight, David Dastmalchian has gone on to build a solid movie and TV career over the last decade with projects like the Ant-Man films, Bird Box, Gotham, The Flash and MacGyver. Dune, however, marks his third collaboration with Denis Villeneuve, having previously appeared in Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049. Dastmalchian has been cast as Piter De Vries, a Mentat (a human who’s trained to perform mental functions on par with a computer) who serves Baron Harkonnen. De Vries is also infamous for creating a poison that stays in the body for years and requires an antidote to be regularly administered.

Chang Chen

After rising to prominence for playing the desert bandit Dark Could in 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he'll be returning to a sandy environment for Dune. More recently, Chen has appeared in The Grandmaster, Brotherhood of Blades, The Assassin and Forever Young. In Dune, Chen will take on the role of Dr. Yueh, who, in the books, serves as the personal physician to Leto Atreides. Unfortunately, Yueh is also unwillingly working for Baron Harkonnen, so we'll see if the movie takes his character in the same direction with the same consequences.

Stephen McKinley Henderson

While Stephen McKinley Henderson primarily works on stage, he has a healthy amount of movie and TV credits on his resume, including Tower Heist, Lincoln, Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird, New Amsterdam (the Nikolaj Coster-Waldau-one, not the current version) and Devs. In Dune, he’s playing Thufir Hawat, a Mentat who has been loyal to the House Atreides for multiple generations.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster

Sharon Duncan-Brewster already has some sci-fi cred under her belt thanks to a brief Rogue One: A Star Wars Story appearance and showing up in the Doctor Who special “The Water of Mars.” That said, British audiences likely know her best from her roles on the TV shows Bad Girls and EastEnders, and she currently stars as Roz Marchetti in the Netflix series Sex Education. For Dune, Duncan-Brewster was cast as Dr. Liet-Kynes, the Imperial Planetologist of Arrakis who was Chani’s father in the original source material, but has been reimagined as her mother for this movie.

Dune will arrive on December 18, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the reboot. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release schedule to figure out what movies are also hitting theaters later this year.