Katee Sackhoff Really Wants to Play Poison Ivy in Live Action and Reunite With Mike Flanagan (Exclusive)
The Mandalorian star Katee Sackhoff has her sights set on a different major franchise: the DC Universe. Sackhoff wants to play Poison Ivy, and she even has an idea of who she would want to direct her in the role: her former Oculus director Mike Flanagan!
ComicBook.com got to speak with Sackhoff about her appearance at Megacon Orlando. As the voice actress who played Poison Ivy in the Batman: The Long Halloween animated movies – and the actress who took Star Wars' Bo-Katan Kryze from animated cult-following to mainstream live-action glory, we had to ask if the same could be done for Poison Ivy. For her part, Sackhoff is more than ready – she's almost frighteningly devoted to the idea:
"I can't quite say that I would sell my firstborn, because she's quite special to me [laughs]. But I would like sh*t twice and die to play Poison Ivy... And to work with Mike Flanagan again," Sackhoff said. "He is such a genius and so collaborative. Working on Oculus was so much fun for me because he allowed me to talk about what I wanted to do with her [the character "Marie Russell] I love bringing physicality to the roles that I play and horror is no different...And he was so all in."
Katee Sackhoff may have a shrewder sense of role picks than even she may know. Poison Ivy seems like a character who is due for screen adaptation sooner before later – in any number of possible corners of the DC Universe franchise. Poison Ivy hasn't been seen on the big screen since Batman & Robin in 1997 – and she's definitely a character many DC fans have been wanting to see get a new chance in the franchise.
...And there may not be a better time than now. The Batman Universe is (still) the most successful franchise item DC has, and they currently have now less than three different Batman franchises that could each debut their own version(s) of Poison Ivy.
James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe will have its own version of Batman (and son), and offer the chance for the force of nature (literally) power of the comic book Poison Ivy to finally be realized onscreen. Matt Reeves' The Batman Universe has room for a more grounded version of Poison Ivy that leans into environmental terrorism and extremist views. Then there's the Joker film franchise, which is about to bring Harley Quinn into its world (Lady Gaga), and could arguably also do its own take on Pamela Ivy/Poison Ivy which is an entirely new version of the character. The beauty is, Katee Sackhoff would be a good choice (and fan-favored) for any one of those scenarios for Poison Ivy.
Sackhoff may also be on point in suggesting Mike Flanagan for a DC Studios gig. Flanagan is just coming off a breakup with Netflix after a successful run with Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass and hasn't done a film since The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep in 2019. DC Studios needs strong talent at a reasonable price, and Flanagan is still just that.