James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is shaping up to be a very different beast than its predecessor. The upcoming sequel/reboot will bring back Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and Amanda Walker (Viola Davis) along with adding new faces Idris Elba and John Cena for unspecified roles. But now it looks like in addition to the old gallery of villains, Gunn is really going all in with some loony picks for the cast.

According to THR, Gunn has cast Ant-Man actor David Dastmalchian to play Polka-Dot Man. You may have glimpsed this unique Batman villain in The LEGO Batman Movie under the “Are those real villains, yes, give it a Google,” interaction. Polka-Dot Man first appeared in Detective Comics #300 in 1962. Per Wikipedia, “As the fearsome Mister Polka-Dot [the character’s original name], he wore a bizarre costume covered in spots, the point of which soon became apparent - once removed from the costume, the spots could be used for a variety of purposes, creating deadly weapons and a bizarre escape vehicle.”

But it won’t just be Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad. THR is hearing “new characters include DC villains such as Ratcatcher (she controls rats), Peacemaker (he loves peace so much he will kill for it), King Shark (would you believe us if we told you it's a humanoid shark?)” and this is just lovely. Throw in Condiment King and you’ve got a lineup that shows they’re really making a strong break from 2016’s Suicide Squad in favor of something a little more outlandish.

No one knows if it will actually work or not, and since Dastmalchian is more of a character actor than a star, I have the suspicion that Polka-Dot Man and others might be relegated to minor roles. But I’m glad they’re even making the cut (a live-action Polka-Dot Man! What a world!), and I’m eager to see who else Gunn casts for the film.

The Suicide Squad opens August 6, 2021.