David Dastmalchian Up for Returning as Polka Dot Man or Another DC Role

Polka-Dot Man may have died at the end of The Suicide Squad, but that hasn’t stopped fans from hoping to see him come back in some form or fashion in a future DC film. David Dastmalchian’s portrayal of the villain-turned-hero in James Gunn’s 2021 film made Polka-Dot Man an instant hit with audiences. People want to see him back in action, and Dastmalchian clearly wants the same. 

Dastmalchian recently spoke with ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian about his role in the new Hulu film Boston Strangler, and the subject of Gunn’s new position as head of DC Studios came up. If the chance to work with Gunn came up again, as Polka-Dot Man or in a new role, Dastmalchian wouldn’t hesitate to say yes.

“Being on set with James Gunn was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Dastmalchian said. “If it’s the one chance that I got to do that, then I’ll savor and be grateful for that for the rest of my life. But if there is some miraculous way that he, in all of his brilliance and imagination, finds for Abner or any other character that he thinks I might be right to portray, to come into that world, I’m there in a second.”

Dastmalchian also spent some time with ComicBook.com this month chatting about his acclaimed Count Crowley comic series. During that conversation (which you can watch in its entirety on our YouTube channel), Dastmalchian echoed his love for Polka-Dot Man.

“Abner is by far one of the greatest roles I’ve ever gotten to play as an actor,” he told us. “James wrote me a gift of a role. So if there was some origin story, or if there was a flashback sequence, that could be cool.”

If Polka-Dot Man isn’t an option, but other DC characters are on the table, Dastmalchian said he’d really like to take on the role of Jervis Tetch, aka Mad Hatter.

“I think there’s something so horrifying, so complicated, and so challenging about manifesting a character like Jervis Tetch into a physical performance,” said Dastmalchian. “I would throw my hat into the ring any day, I would love to audition for it if somebody was trying to put together a film where the Hatter was coming.”

You can check out Dastmalchian’s latest film, Boston Stranger, now streaming on Hulu.