The Suicide Squad's Idris Elba has commented on past rumors saying he would be replacing Will Smith as Deadshot for the sequel while it was still in development.
One of the many questions raised during the creation of James Gunn's movie was whether or not Will Smith's character, who survived at the end of the original 2016 movie, would be returning. A rumor and possibility circulating was that the character would be re-cast with actor Idris Elba. Elba instead took the role of a different character, Bloodsport, and has recently discussed the rumors that he was to be Smith's replacement.
"Those rumors would be natural because Will said he wasn't joining the second movie," Elba said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "So, it was quite natural for audiences or fans to think that I would be taking over the Deadshot character because the Deadshot character lived in the other movie. But I'm really satisfied that James [Gunn] didn't want to do that; I didn't want to do that. Deadshot is a great character and Will slays it, so I was really keen the audience and fans kept that rumor going. Surprise!"
Elba's Bloodsport can now be seen in action after The Suicide Squad hit theaters and streaming this past week. But even with the Guardians of the Galaxy director at the helm of this new R-rated take on DC's rag-tag supervillain team, the film has been projected to fall short of box office expectations. The movie had targeted a weekend gross of $30 million, though Variety reported the film is expected to fall roughly $5 million short with an estimated $25.65 million over its first three days.
Now available in both theaters and streaming on HBO Max, The Suicide Squad currently sits at a 92% Certified Fresh rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, receiving generally favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film stars Elba alongside Daniela Melchior, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, John Cena and many other talents.
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