Suicide Squad 2: Idris Elba will play a new character and not Deadshot out of respect for Will Smith

By Colin Stevens

New information suggests that Idris Elba would not play Deadshot in The Suicide Squad out of respect for Will Smith – although he apparently would play another character.

Postponed by Variety, everyone involved, including director James Gunn, decided to move entirely from the character of Deadshot to this new film. It's unclear what character Elba will play, but sources suggest that no one would disrespect Smith, who portrayed Deadshot in Suicide Squad in 2016. This theoretically leaves the door open for Smith to return to Suicide Squad movies or other DCEU movies because its reason for not coming back is simply related to scheduling conflicts.

The report states that Elba spoke to Gunn shortly after Smith left the project and "got on the spot" to join the next installment, although it was never announced in the marble that he would replace the character from Smith.

While Smith is definitely part of Deadshot, Oscar winner Viola Davis will return to her role as Amanda Waller, but Margot Robbie is expected to return as Harley Quinn and Jai Courtney says he will return as Captain Boomerang .

DCEU producer Peter Safran previously described The Suicide Squad as a "total reboot" of the franchise, although many players are expected to be back, and Warner Bros. potentially keeping the door open for Smith's eventual return, it could very well be a result of a sequel. provided that.

The shooting of Suicide Squad is scheduled for this autumn and its theatrical release is scheduled for August 6, 2021.

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Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow on Twitter.