The excitement over the upcoming DC flick 'Suicide Squad' may have a lot to do with the all-star cast that includes Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot and Academy Award winner Jared Leto as the Joker.

The David Ayer film also features 'How to Get Away with Murder' star Viola Davis, who recently admitted that ABC actually wanted her to do the movie.

Davis was present at the TV network's panel interview for cast members of 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'How to Get Away with Murder' and 'Scandal.' She told /Film that ABC president Paul Lee pushed her to do 'Suicide Squad' despite her tight schedule.

"They were totally willing to work it out," she said. "I'd never seen anything like it. Paul Lee came up to me and said, 'Oh, I want you to have everything.' Who does that? I was very lucky."

In 'How to Get Away with Murder,' Viola Davis plays Professor Annalise Keating who is a high-profile defense attorney who ends up investigating the murder of her husband and his mistress.

Davis' character in 'Suicide Squad' is just as feisty as Annalise Keating, but with a darker intention. Viola Davis portrays Amanda Waller, a high-ranking government official who decides to form Task Force X, employing convicts from the Belle Reve Penitentiary.

The actress also confirmed that 'Suicide Squad' will take a darker tone, although it also shows the humanity in the featured supervillains.

"I mean, you saw the trailer so the trailer very much, what you see is these superheroes have been humanized," Davis said. "That's what makes this kind of a different superhero movie."

'Suicide Squad' also stars Joel Kinnaman as Task Force X leader Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Jay Hernandez as El Diablo and Adam Beach as Slipknot.

The film will hit theaters on August 5, 2016.