Idris Elba is in talks to take over the role of Deadshot for the upcoming sequel ‘The Suicide Squad.’ Will Smith, the original actor from the first film, had to depart from the project due to scheduling issues.
Elba has been absolutely on fire as of late, and is continuing his hot streak of roles with this. He was previously Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and will potentially make the jump to DC. Not only that, he won a Golden Globe for the BBC series ‘Luther,’ which had its fifth season release last January. He was recently in Justin Lin’s ‘Star Trek Beyond,’ Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Molly’s Game.’ Elba reprised his role of Heimdall in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ the latter being his last appearance.
This year he will be in two Universal films. One being the spin-off ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,’ releasing August 2. The other is the feature adaptation of ‘Cats,’ releasing December 20.
James Gunn serves as writer and director for ‘The Suicide Squad’ (the current title anyway). The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director will not make a direct sequel to 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad,’ but rather a “relaunch.” Gunn’s focus is to take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors. This casting news only reaffirms that. Further, the project is very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the ‘Guardians’ movies.
The Hollywood Reporter also gave some insight about some of the other Squad members:
“Gunn is said to be using mostly DC characters who did not appear in David Ayer’s 2016 film although several are expected to return including Deadshot, Harley Quinn and Rick Flagg, originally played by Joel Kinnaman, say sources. Another source, however, says Flagg is no longer in the follow-up.”
Also, Warner Bros. is so exhilarated with the project, that Elba has already met with Gunn. The Friday meeting went so well that talks began with the studio in earnest. When is came to both the studio and Gunn, Elba was the first and only choice,
Moreover, the studio’s excitement spread so much that the film is now in the casting stage. This is due to Gunn swiftly submitting several drafts, since his hiring last October.
Additionally, filming will begin this September in Atlanta.
Warner Bros. will release the film on August 6, 2021.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter