Back in 2019, the news that Idris Elba was in talks to "replace" Will Smith as Deadshot in James Gunn's Suicide Squad follow-up broke. It later came to light that the Thor: Ragnarok actor would actually be playing a different character altogether, but it sounds like Gunn's original story idea did include Floyd Lawton.
The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran has now confirmed that Smith was in talks to return as Deadshot, but his schedule simply wouldn't allow it.
"We discussed it," Safran tells ComicBook.com. "But I think the Will of it all was really more of a schedule thing than anything else. We knew we had to start shooting in September [2019] because, frankly, we knew probably earlier than other people did that James was going to come back and do Guardians [of the Galaxy vol 3].
"So it was really important that we started shooting when we started shooting and Will wasn't available," he continued. "And that kind of made it easier all around. What are you going to do? He's not available. So it's also nice to, frankly, help separate it from the first movie, I think, in a greater fashion."
There's a lot of speculation that Elba was originally cast as Lawton before Gunn decided to introduce Bloodsport, and it's hard to deny the similarities between the two characters (the latter even has a young daughter who Amanda Waller us using to manipulate him into joining Task Force X). Whatever the case may be, this does leave the door open for Smith to return as Deadshot down the line.
The Suicide Squad is set for theatrical and HBO Max release on August 6.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.