As the DCEU continues to try and gain its footing, we’re seeing a lot of turnover in some big roles. Obviously the biggest is Ben Affleck exiting as Batman, Jared Leto won’t return as the Joker, Henry Cavill’s status as Superman is up in the air, and now Will Smith is out in his Suicide Squad role of Deadshot.
Variety reports that Smith will not return for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, considered a soft reboot of the 2016 film that introduced a team of government-sanctioned supervillains. It was never confirmed that Smith would come back, anyway, and as of now it may be that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is the only familiar face. If we’re lucky maybe Jai Courtney returns as Boomerang or Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, but even they seem unlikely at this point.
Smith leaves on good terms and it’s said to be a scheduling issue holding him back, which begs the question of what project will keep him so busy in 2020 that he can’t be a part of it. Warner Bros. was hoping to have both of its biggest stars, Smith and Robbie, to front Gunn’s sequel which is expected to arrive in August 2021. That, I suppose, leaves the door open for someone else to take on the mantle of Deadshot, assuming the character isn’t completely written out.
