New The Suicide Squad Teaser Reveals First Look at Calendar Man

Hype for The Suicide Squad is beginning to skyrocket, as fans are eager to see James Gunn's take [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Hype for The Suicide Squad is beginning to skyrocket, as fans are eager to see James Gunn's take on the unique DC Comics mythos. The promotional material for the film has already showcased a pretty bizarre ensemble of antiheroes and villains, ranging from household names to relatively obscure characters. A new teaser for the film, which was released on Thursday, reveals that two other DC baddies factor into the proceedings — including an infamous Batman villain. The teaser, which you can check out below, briefly shows two prisoners inside Belle Reve prison. One appears to be the film's version of Double Down, while the other is none other than Calendar Man, portrayed by Sean Gunn. This is Gunn's second role in The Suicide Squad, as the actor (and brother of James Gunn) also did motion capture for the film's version of Weasel.

the suicide squad calendar man double down
(Photo: DC Entertainment)

Also known as Jeremy Tell, Double Down is a villain bonded with a cursed deck of cards, who can detach the cards from his flesh and utilize them in battle. The character initially appeared as a villain of The Flash, and later played a role in sabotaging Green Arrow and Black Canary's wedding, setting off a sequence of events that led him to be captured by the Suicide Squad. The character was previously portrayed in live-action by J.R. Bourne on Arrow.

Calendar Man, meanwhile, is known by the moniker of Julian Day and is a unique adversary within Batman's rogues' gallery. Calendar Man gets his name became of his fascination with the calendar year, often staging and committing heinous crimes tied to holidays or noteworthy dates. While the character originated in the Silver Age of Comics as a relatively goofy villain, he since has been reimagined as a terrifying foe, particularly in the Batman: The Long Halloween limited series. The Suicide Squad marks the character's first appearance in live-action, although he has been adapted into animation several times, including being voiced by fellow The Suicide Squad star David Dastmalchian in the recent Long Halloween animated movies.

Calendar Man and Double Down's appearances in The Suicide Squad are just the latest examples of the film's odd ensemble, something that Gunn personally spearheaded.

"There was no plan until James said, 'That's a movie I want to go make,'" producer Peter Safran revealed during a 2019 visit to the film's set. "And then all the characters that he selected were just characters that he was a fan of and wanted to play with. I think, in typical fashion for James, he picks more obscure characters. Guardians of the Galaxy, they were relatively obscure characters, as well, but he liked the idea of being able to take these characters and imbue them with whatever characters he really wanted, or characteristics that he really wanted to play with."

The Suicide Squad is set to be released both in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th.

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