Will Smith will not reprise the role of Deadshot in The Suicide Squad. His schedule has left him unavailable for production, which will begin later this year. That does not necessarily mean, however, that Deadshot is off the team.
Variety‘s Justin Kroll is hearing that DC Films executives are trying to decide whether the role should be recast, or if another character should take Deadshot’s place. One would hope writer-director James Gunn is also involved in this decision.
One item I forgot to add to story, sources say execs are now deciding whether they will recast the role or replace Deadshot with a different character from the DC universe to join the team in sequel
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) February 28, 2019
Considering that The Suicide Squad is at least as much of a relaunch as it is a sequel, seeing a different actor as Deadshot may not be that big of an issue for audiences. If Gunn already has Deadshot in the script and the character is essential to the story, recasting is the right call. If not, then Smith’s lack of availability isn’t much of a problem anyway.
