News recently broke that Idris Elba (
Thor: Ragnarok, Luther) was set to replace Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot in
The Suicide Squad, but
Variety has now amended that report.
According to the trade, Deadshot won't actually feature in James Gunn's film at all, and Elba will be playing a completely new character who remains nameless for the time being. We don't have any more details on this new Task Force X member, but it's said that James Gunn and co. felt that recasting Lawton would have been "disrespecting Smith, who helped bring this character to life for the first time."
This report also confirms that Margot Robbie will reprise the role of Harley Quinn, and Jai Courtney will also be back as Captain Boomerang. We found out earlier today that Viola Davis will return as Amanda Waller.
So much for
The Suicide Squad being a reboot! The movie is set to hit theaters on Aug. 6, 2021.