Idris Elba Will Not Replace Will Smith In ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel, Set To Play Brand New Character

Idris Elba Not Replacing Will Smith In ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel, Set To Play A Brand New Character

The casting shakeup for the Suicide Squad sequel continues. While it was previously reported that Idris Elba would replace Will Smith as Deadshot, according to new reports Elba will play a new character as the movie heads get rid of Deadshot altogether… at least in the sequel.

Idris Elba, Will Smith

It’s not clear what character Elba will play, but word is there were multiple factors that helped writers come to this decision, including not wanting to blatantly replace Smith, who played the character in the original. This move also allows the opportunity for Smith to return as Deadshot considering the only reason he couldn’t do the sequel was a scheduling conflict.

Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the news.

The Jamsine Brand previously reported Elba would be replacing Smith after filmmaker James Gunn sat down with Elba about his then upcoming role. The actor was the only one on the list as a desired replacement for Smith. The original cast featured Smith alongside Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. It grossed more than $700 million worldwide during its time at the box office.