Will Smith has confirmed the reason he didn't reprise his Suicide Squad role as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot for writer/director James Gunn's (sorta) sequel, The Suicide Squad.
While going "undercover" as himself for GQ, Smith replied to a Twitter user who speculated that the actor wasn't interested in playing Deadshot again, writing, "Yeah, I was working and they were ready to shoot. It was a timing issue." This aligns with a report from February 2019, claiming that Smith passed on The Suicide Squad due to a scheduling conflict. That same report described his decision as being "made on amicable terms" between Smith and Warner Bros., with no hard feelings on either side.
Written/directed by David Ayer, Suicide Squad marks Task Force X's first appearance in the DC Extended Universe, with Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag leading a team of super-villains that includes Smith's sharp-shooter Deadshoot, as well as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and George Harkness/Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney). Despite being a box office success, the theatrical version of the film received largely negative reviews and has since been disowned by Ayer. "The studio cut is not my movie," wrote Ayer in a lengthy response posted earlier this year.
By comparison, The Suicide Squad scored top marks from most critics, with CBR's Brandon Zachary calling it "a brightly bombastic film that is impressive not just as a superhero story but as one of this decade's best action-packed blockbusters." Idris Elba stars in Gunn's movie as Robert DuBois/Bloodsport, a super-criminal whose abilities and backstory admittedly bear a resemblance to those for Suicide Squad's Deadshot. In fact, early on, rumor had it Elba was replacing Smith in the latter role.
Elba addressed those old rumors around the time of The Suicide Squad's release in August, describing them as "natural" after Smith passed on the movie. "But I'm really satisfied that James [Gunn] didn't want to do that; I didn't want to do that," he added. "Deadshot is a great character and Will slays it, so I was really keen the audience and fans kept that rumor going. Surprise!"
Smith will return to the screen in King Richard, a biographical drama in which he plays tennis sensations Serena and Venus Williams' father/coach, Richard Williams. The film arrives day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max on Nov. 19.
Source: YouTube