Suicide Squad Director David Ayer Refused All-CG for Killer Croc

In March 2015, when it was revealed that Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World, HBO’s Oz) would play Killer Croc (a.k.a. Waylon Jones) in the Suicide Squad movie, some naturally assumed that he would be computer-generated (CG); however, that thought never crossed the mind of director David Ayer.

“I think Killer Croc is one of the characters that most people are really excited for. He’s obviously a classic Batman villain, and for us I think when approaching the character, I think the first thing that David said, [and] we all agreed, is we’re not having a full CG character in this movie,” producer Andy Horwitz explained to Comicbook.com and other press during a Suicide Squad set visit. “It was something that, once we committed to that idea, it was quite a commitment because as you can see, his makeup and his prosthetics are incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it on set. He truly does, and you guys will see him tonight, he looks amazing. You can sit one foot away from his face and stare at him and you can’t figure out if it’s real or if it’s not.

“It’s three hours in the chair every single day for him and it’s quite a commitment, but he’s really brought something amazing to the character. He’s not just a guy with a ton of prosthetics on. He’s figured out ways to move his face underneath that prosthetic that does interesting things, and he’s really worked with it with the teeth and how to blink. He’s really not just wearing that, he’s really doing quite a performance. He’s figured out an interesting way to walk and to move and to talk. I think he’s going to be one of the fan favorites in terms of what he does in the movie because it’s quite cool.”

Killer Croc is a man suffering from a rare genetic condition that imparts him with crocodilian features, such as armored scales and big, sharp, pointy teeth, as well as enhanced abilities, like super-strength, advanced healing, exceptional durability, and heightened senses. Aside from coping with his reptilian appearance, Killer Croc struggles to hold onto his humanity as he gradually devolves, becoming more animalistic.

“I’m sure you guys know he was a man, so the evolution of this character and trying to get inside his head as an actor and as a character is sort of like, okay, well what would that mean?” producer Richard Suckle added. ” I’ve had some pretty interesting conversations with him and the way he approaches it. As Andy was saying, he’s brought a lot to it. You’re obviously conscientious of the fact that you’re talking to a guy that’s in prosthetics, but you’re really suspending your disbelief because you can’t believe how real it looks, especially because he’s brought these mannerisms. He’ll tell you if you get a chance to talk to him, there’s a lot of crocodilian, as he likes to say, that he’s brought to it. He stays in character. It’s pretty great to watch. It’s really fun having him around.”

It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity.U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do.However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

Written and directed by David Ayer based on the characters from DC Comics, the film stars Will Smith (“Ali”), Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Joel Kinnaman (“RoboCop”) and Viola Davis (“The Help”). The cast also includes Jai Courtney (“Insurgent”), Jay Hernandez (“Takers”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Thor: The Dark World”), Ike Barinholtz (“Neighbors”), Scott Eastwood (“Fury”), Cara Delevingne (“Paper Towns”), Adam Beach (“Cowboys & Aliens”), and Karen Fukuhara in her feature film debut. It is produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

Suicide Squad opens worldwide in 3D, and in 2D, and in select IMAX 3D theaters beginning August 5, 2016.