‘The Suicide Squad’: Idris Elba in Talks to Replace Will Smith’s Deadshot
Shortly after word gets out that Will Smith will no longer reprise his role as Deadshot in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad comes a new report suggesting that DC Films may have just poached major talent from Marvel Studios. If the cards fall in the right place, then Idris Elba will play Deadshot in the sequel.
While the door appeared to be open for Smith to return as Deadshot at a later time, it looks like that door has been shut completely as Elba could be playing the character going forward. Elba notably played the supporting character of Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing across the Thor trilogy and making cameos in two Avengers films, but with a character like Deadshot, it looks like he’s going to have a much larger role in the DC Films Shared Universe as a lead. The Hollywood Reporter states that Elba and Gunn had a casual conversation about the sequel that went so swimmingly that talks with Warner Bros. (who saw Elba as their first and only choice for the role after Smith’s exit) began in earnest shortly thereafter.
Although it initially appeared as though the cast of Gunn’s retooling of the Suicide Squad movie property would feature mostly new additions (aside from Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller, still portrayed by Margot Robbie and Viola Davis), THR’s report notes that some are still expected to appear, although not all of them. Sources are conflicted as to whether or not Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flagg will be one of the returning characters or if he will sit the movie out. Curiously, they do not make mention of Davis’s Waller, though her character serves as the sleazy but well-intentioned government bureaucrat who organizes the team of villains to do something for the greater good in exchange for lighter prison sentences.
This change in plan seems to have come down to Gunn pitching multiple drafts to the studio in short order, which may have been why the erroneous rumors that the IP was getting a hard reboot early on possibly could have come from. Nonetheless, Gunn’s movie will likely feature a largely new gallery of rogues teaming up with some of the established cinematic Suicide Squad. The concept of putting villains with specific skills on suicide missions lends itself well to the idea of a rotating cast, so it’s not hard to see why DC would be open to taking this kind of route with the franchise. Either way, this move shows that they’re not messing around, and picking up talent from Marvel seems like a pretty ballsy move on their part.
The Suicide Squad is set to release on August 6, 2021.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
