So there’s another superhero film in production. Is anyone surprised? Probably not, but this one will be featuring SoCal Chicano Jay Hernandez in a starring role, which is cool. Plus it isn’t actually about superheroes per se, but rather a gaggle of incarcerated DC Comics supervillains working off their sentences by doing black ops for the U.S. government. Sounds different, right?
You’ve probably already caught wind of Suicide Squad‘s high-profile production history. Thus far, the dozen-or-so principal actors comprising the film’s ensemble cast have virtually cleared Hollywood’s starting bench, with confirmed appearances by Will Smith, Jared Leto, and even rapper-turned-actor Common to round things out. Hernandez’s role as Chato Santana/El Diablo was confirmed several weeks ago after some anonymous sources leaked the info to the Hollywood gossip rags. Now, there’s some set photos that reveal El Diablo’s look.
In the DC Comics’ universe, El Diablo has had a handful of iterations, starting with ‘Lazarus Lane’: a lowly 19th-century wild-west bank teller possessed by vengeful demon. Chato Santana represents the demon’s latest incarnation: an ex-criminal who comes into contact with Lane’s comatose body, and he’s been a part of the Suicide Squad since the 2011 relaunch of DC’s “The New 52.”
Helmed by David Ayers, who had previously directed Michael Peña in the gritty L.A. crime drama End of Watch — Suicide Squad is being produced by Warner Brothers Entertainment. For his part, Hernandez is perhaps best known for his role as Brian Chavez in the 2004 sports drama Saturday Night Lights, but the fourth generation Mexican-American has had starring roles in films ranging from Crazy/Beautiful to Hostel.