I don’t know about you, but Suicide Squad casting news has been lowkey pretty exciting. It’s all about who’s returning, who isn’t and what new blood is being added to the cast and now we have some more casting tidbits for James Gunn’s take on the sequel. Viola Davis and Joel Kinnaman are set to return while Idris Elba, who was in talks to replace Will Smith as Deadshot, will not be taking on that role but a new one entirely.
Viola Davis is returning as Amanda Waller, the devious but brilliant government character who created and runs the squad and by her side will be the man who controls the team on the good, Rick Flagg who will now once again be played by returning Joel Kinnaman. If you’re keeping a tally, they join returning cast members, Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney.
Though it was previously reported that Elba would be replacing Will Smith as Deadshot in the new film, reports say that all parties including director James Gunn have decided to move on from the Deadshot character, with Elba playing a new character in The Suicide Squad.
It is unknown what character Elba would now be playing, but after taking the last few weeks to discuss, everyone involved felt this was the right move. The team also did not want to feel as if it was disrespecting Smith, who helped bring this character to life for the first time, by replacing him with Elba. While many believe chances are still slim for a future return, the decision keeps the door open for Smith to possibly come back in future films since his original reason for leaving had to do with scheduling and not creative differences.
Suicide Squad 2 hits cinemas on August 6th, 2021.
