Christian Slater Is Open to Playing a 'Suicide Squad' Villain in Live Action

Christian Slater, who is no stranger to playing antiheroes of various stripes, says he could see himself transitioning from Deadshot (the hero of today's Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay animated movie) to a Suicide Squad villain in live-action.

Slater said that under the right circumstances, he could see himself signing on to terrorize the Squad as a villain-for-the-villains in one of the planned upcoming movie sequels...but it would depend entirely on the character he was being called upon to play.

"I think it's up to the studios and decisions that they make, but I certainly would be open to that concept and that idea," Slater told ComicBook.com. "I would certainly want it to be a character that I could identify with. I think the best characters are the one that even when they are seemingly, quote-unquote the bad guy, you can sort of identify and understand and relate to them in some way. You can kind of get a grasp of what their point of view is, and where they're coming from, whether it's a result of conditioning, parenting, where they were raised, what their environment was, if there is some kind of rational justification for the decisions they are making. It seems like they're coming at things from their point of view a heroic stand, where the heroes, quote-unquote, are coming at it from their own perspective, and their own upbringing, and going, 'That isn't necessarily right.' I can understand where he's coming from."

Slater headlines Hell to Pay, which also stars recognizable live-action stars like Vanessa Williams and Liam McIntyre. It hits DVD and Blu-ray today.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay finds Amanda Waller's top secret "Task Force X" – Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn and Copperhead – on a mission to retrieve a mystical object so powerful that they're willing to risk their own lives to steal it. But the Suicide Squad isn't the only group of villains seeking to possess the object. The race is on for the golden prize … and, to stay alive, second place isn't an option.

The all-star cast is led by Christian Slater in his DC Universe Movies debut as the voice of Deadshot, who heads "Task Force X" alongside Billy Brown as Bronze Tiger, Liam McIntyre as Captain Boomerang, Kristin Bauer van Straten as Killer Frost, Gideon Emery as Copperhead, Tara Strong as Harley Quinn and their "boss," Vanessa Williams as Amanda Waller. Villainous forces in the film include C. Thomas Howell as Zoom, Dania Ramirez as Scandal Savage, James Urbaniak as Professor Pyg, Julie Nathanson as Silver Banshee and Jewelee, and Jim Pirri as Vandal Savage & Vertigo.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital now.