For a long time, Katee Sackhoff was best known for playing Kara “Starbuck” Thrace on Battlestar Galactica, but these days, she has an even bigger sci-fi presence thanks to her time in the Star Wars universe as Bo-Katan Kryze, particularly The Mandalorian. That being said, Sackhoff also has a few DC Comics media-related credits under her belt, and with the new DC Universe franchise launching in the coming years, the actress has opened up about wanting to play Poison Ivy on the big screen. That said, she is also fully aware that Karen Gillan is gunning for the same role.
In addition to having played Amunet Black in The Flash TV series, Sackhoff also voiced Poison Ivy in the animated DC movie Batman: The Long Halloween, which is set in the Tomorrowverse timeline. So right off the bat, you’d think that would give her an edge over being looked at to play Poison Ivy in live-action, but as Sackhoff pointed out to The Playlist, Gillan has an even bigger edge because of her relationship with DC Studios co-head James Gunn, saying:
No, I haven’t [talked to James Gunn]. Listen, I saw Karen Gillan wants to play her, too. And, like, she’s got a closer ‘in’ than I do, so I feel like that’s a given. I feel like I’ve got no horse in that race if Karen wants to play that character, but God, I love her. I can’t be mad at her. She’s fantastic, and I love her dearly, so I still would love to, for sure. I think that maybe I can play Poison Ivy’s mom. I can play Karen’s mom again. We can just do that again, and we can both play Poison Ivy. Like, different versions, maybe. You never know.
Katee Sackhoff playing Karen Gillan’s mom “again” is a reference to 2013’s Oculus, which saw the former starring as Kaylie Russell in 2013 and the latter appearing as Marie Russell in the movie’s 2002-set scenes. More importantly, Sackhoff is correct that Gillan is unquestionably “closer” to James Gunn since she played Nebula in his Guardians of the Galaxy movies and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, as well as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder. That, along with Gillan’s hair being naturally red, makes her a stellar fit to play Poison Ivy, who hasn’t been portrayed in a live-action movie since Uma Thurman hammed it up in 1997’s Batman & Robin.
Still, that doesn’t mean Sackhoff should automatically be out of the running for this Batman baddie. After all, one of the few details we know about the DC Universe’s upcoming Batman movie, titled The Brave and the Bold (directed by Andy Muschietti), is that it’ll see Bruce Wayne teaming up with his son, Damian, indicating this Bruce will be an older crimefighter. With Sackhoff being seven years older than Gillan, perhaps she’s in a better age range to pair with this particular Batman.
Also, don’t forget that Matt Reeves has his The Batman universe going in another corner of the DC multiverse. So even if Gillan or another actress were to be cast as Poison Ivy instead for the new DC Universe, the Battlestar Galactica alum could conceivably be considered for this other continuity if Reeves was interested in bringing to life a more grounded depiction of the character. In this world, Ivy may not be mentally manipulating plant life, but there could still be a good way to have he cause trouble as an ecoterrorist.
Rest assured that if it’s announced Katee Sackhoff and/or Karen Gillan will appear in the DC Universe, whether as Poison Ivy or in other roles, we’ll let you know. Until then, learn what other projects will comprise this soon-to-bloom franchise by looking through our guides detailing upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows. You can also revisit many past DC projects with a Max subscription.
