By Suicide Squad 2, in actuality a reboot now called The Suicide Squad, has only gained momentum after the oddly amusing tire fire that was the original. The brightest spot of the first movie, Margot Robbie, is returning as Harley Quinn, and thanks to a rare moment of Disney stupidity, the reboot is being helmed by James Gunn. Things kept getting sweeter, though, as Gunn championed Idris Elba, walking swoon machine, to be added to the cast after Will Smith was no longer attached to the the reboot. A cherry has been added on top of the Elba news as Variety is now reporting that he won’t be playing Deadshot (Smith’s previous role) but a new villain on the squad instead!
For reasons including Elba did not fit as well in the role and the possibility of Smith returning as Deadshot, director Gunn decided handing the accomplished actor a new role would be better. WB didn’t confirm this, but it would make sense for the story because a reboot of the previous movie with the exact same lead that was released only in 2016 could tire fans out. With Robbie, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang all slated to return, a new lead change becomes especially important to separate the two movies.
Being a fan of both DC and chaos, I’m genuinely excited now. Not only does a great actor finally get a potentially cool leading role, but this film actually has a chance of succeeding. Hopefully Gunn will reach into part of his horror past and give the villains a little more edge because actors like Davis, Elba, and Robbie could make them wholly more interesting and still sympathetic. The most important question now is who will Elba be? Gunn has taken weird characters before and made them icons of a series, so if Elba is announced to be Double Down, fuck it, I’m all for it.
The Suicide Squad is set to be release August 6th, 2021
‘Suicide Squad’: Deadshot Removed From Sequel as Idris Elba Moves to New Character (EXCLUSIVE) [Variety]