A month ago reports were floating around that Idris Elba would be replacing Will Smith as Deadshot in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad soft reboot. The recast Deadshot would be joined by a bunch of obscure DC Comics characters like Ratcatcher, Polka-Dot Man and Peacemaker (rumoured to be played by Dave Bautista). However, in another DCEU behind the scenes plot twist, it looks like Idris Elba will not be playing Deadshot after all.
Variety reports that all parties including director James Gunn (known for his work on Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2) have decided to move on from the Deadshot character. Idris Elba will be playing a new character in The Suicide Squad.
In the same report, Variety goes on to say that, this decision was made after weeks of discussion. The team did not want to feel as if they were disrespecting Will Smith, who brought this character to life (and did a stellar job at that) in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. James Gunn and gang want to keep the door open for a Will Smith return, especially since his original reason for parting ways had to do with scheduling and not creative differences.
It still remains unknown what character Elba would be playing in James Gunn’s rendition of Suicide Squad. Could he be playing one of the four new characters previously reported to be featured in the movie — Polka-Dot Man, perhaps? — or would Gunn look to include another, a slightly more iconic character like Tattooed Man, just for Elba? Only time will tell.
