Will Smith drops ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel

Will Smith is pulling out of Suicide Squad 2,  Deadline has confirmed.

Sources told Deadline that Smith, 50, had scheduling conflicts and chose not to reprise his role as Deadshot, de facto leader of the comic book team. Shooting on the film is expected to start this fall.

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Once news got out that Smith wouldn’t be along for the sequel, fans began speculating as to what this means for the sequel—whether it means a departure of the role or whether the film would recast Deadshot, according to Comicbook. Variety reports that Warner Bros. is currently contemplating that answer. They will decide whether to find a new actor to remove the character altogether.

Smith starred in the original 2016 David-Ayer directed movie along with Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Jay Hernandez, and Margot Robbie. Although the film was panned by critics, it scored $746 million at the global box office. The success guaranteed a sequel as well as a Harley Quinn spin-off starring Robbie, Complex wrote.

While celebrating his 50th birthday back in September, Smith took the time to answer a few fan-submitted questions online. When asked about the possibility of a Deadshot standalone project, the actor confirmed it was being discussed.

“I hope so. I love playing Deadshot. I’ve really enjoyed that character,” he said, according to Screen Rant. “They’ve been talking about it, so if a good idea comes around… we’ve been having meetings. But I’d love to. I love Deadshot.”

Maybe Smith can find a way to do it. Perhaps there’s hope after all.

Additional casting details for Suicide Squad 2 have not been confirmed. James Gunn and Disney parted ways last summer and now Gunn has signed on to write and direct the project, which is scheduled to hit theaters Aug. 6, 2021.

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