Ever since it’s hurried inception, Warner Bros’ answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU, has been a roller coaster of emotions for fans … to say the least.
There have been legitimate hits such as Aquaman and Wonder Woman, there have been some perfectly solid entries such Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and there have been two outright disasters (in my opinion): Justice League and David Ayer’s ill-fated Suicide Squad.
While the first trailer for Suicide Squad got fans excited with its Guardians of the Galaxy-esque vibe, the final product was far from the quality of the James Gunn hit, as the final cut was a disjointed CGI mess undercut by studio meddling and a curious decision to make the inexperienced Cara Delevigne the main antagonist.
So, what did Warner Bros. and DC decide to do with the franchise that fans had hoped would rival the success of Guardians of the Galaxy? Hire the guy who made that movie successful in the first place, James Gunn.
After Gunn’s dismissal from the director’s chair of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — a role he has since been re-hired for — Warner Bros. quickly snapped up the acclaimed MCU director for their complete reboot of Suicide Squad.
The next major move was the announcement that Idris Elba would be taking over the Deadshot mantle from Will Smith, as the Aladdin star reportedly could not fit The Suicide Squad into his busy schedule.
However, just a month after the announcement of Elba’s casting, Variety is now reporting that Gunn is removing Deadshot from the film entirely and writing a new, “secret” role for Elba.
According to their sources, “everyone” involved in the film agreed that it would be best to move on from the Deadshot character, as the “team also did not want to feel as if it was disrespecting Smith.”
As of this writing, it is not clear what character Elba will be playing.
Additionally, the report states that people within the franchise harbor a slim hope for a future return to the role for Smith, as his reason for leaving the franchise was merely scheduling conflicts.
The Suicide Squad, which will still star Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, will arrive in theaters on August 6, 2021.