It was revealed last month that Idris Elba would join the cast of Warner Bros. and DC Film’s The Suicide Squad, filling in for the role of Deadshot that was previously played by Will Smith. Now, Variety reports that Elba will still appear in the film, just not as the marksman character.
RELATED: Viola Davis Reprising Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad
The outlet notes the team behind the film (including Elba and writer/director James Gunn) decided they didn’t want for the casting to be disrespectful toward Smith or to make it appear like he was being replaced. In addition, they’ll be leaving the door open for Smith to return as the character later on since the reason he wouldn’t appear in the sequel was because of scheduling.
It’s unclear who Elba will play in the film now that Deadshot is off the table, but the titular super-villain team has featured countless members throughout the years in the comics and Gunn will likely have no trouble finding a different character for Elba.
Gunn will write and direct The Suicide Squad, which will act as a soft reboot for the franchise. While earlier this year a report suggested Margot Robbie will skip this sequel as well, it now appears that Harley Quinn will appear, though it’s less clear if Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flagg will return. Others set to return for the sequel include Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller.
The first film, which hit theaters in August 2016, opened to mostly negative reviews from critics and mixed reviews from audiences, but was a large financial success, grossing nearly $750 million at the global box office off of a $175 million budget and went on to win an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, marking the first DCEU film to win an Oscar.
RELATED: Will Smith Won’t Return for The Suicide Squad
Warner Bros. has scheduled The Suicide Squad to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
(Photo by: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
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