Although it appeared that the Luther star Idris Elba might replace Will Smith as Deadshot in the sequel to DC’s 2016 hit Suicide Squad, that won’t be the case. Still, according to Deadline, Elba will be a part of Suicide Squad 2 cast and will play a new, still unspecified character.
The magazine also confirmed that Deadshot won’t be part of the sequel, which will be directed by James Gunn, due to Smith’s scheduling conflicts. However, since Elba didn’t take over his role the Men in Black star might return to portray the character in future installments.
Suicide Squad 2, which will reportedly be a part sequel and part reboot, is expected to enter production in September with the release date being set for August 6, 2021. So far the only cast members confirmed to return from the original are Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis as Agent Amanda Waller.
The original Suicide Squad movie was directed by David Ayer and centered on a DC’s supervillain team of the same name which gets recruited by the government to save the world from a powerful threat. Although the film received negative reviews from the critics, it ended up being a box-office success earning $746.8 million.
