James Gunn Has His Sights Set on Idris Elba for Deadshot in Suicide Squad Sequel

Scheduling issues may have stopped Will Smith from returning in writer-director James Gunn‘s (Guardians of the Galaxy) sequel to Suicide Squad, but you can’t stop Deadshot that easily. According to THR, Idris Elba, who ended his Marvel comic book movie tenure when his Heimdall died at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War, is in talks to join the DC comic book movieverse in place of Smith as the world’s deadliest assassin, the man who never misses. Elba was apparently Gunn’s “first and only choice” for the role.

Margot Robbie will return as Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad, but the cast will be mostly new actors playing new characters, according to some sources. In addition to a new Deadshot actor, Rick Flagg, originally played by Joel Kinnaman, will also have to be recast, while Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc, El Diablo and Katana are not expected to return.

The Suicide Squad has an Aug. 6, 2021, release date.