Recently, we covered some stories on Harley Quinn’s non-return for the Suicide Squad sequel/soft reboot, set to be helmed by James Gunn. And if that news got people’s panties in a bunch, this next one will only add insult to injury. It looks like Will Smith, who was one of the only bright spots in David Ayer’s critically panned Suicide Squad will also not be returning to the franchise. Smith, of course, played Deadshot in the first Suicide Squad film.
According to Justin Kroll of Variety, scheduling was cited as the ultimate factor for this decision. However, he also notes that this was a decision mutually agreed upon by both parties with no hard feelings. Kroll also reports that his sources tell him that the studio has always wanted its biggest stars like Will Smith and Margot Robbie to return to the Suicide Squad franchise.
These recent reports do come off as slightly confusing. After all, a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the omission of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) from Suicide Squad was more of a creative decision (i.e a soft reboot, instead of a sequel). So it only seemed natural that reports surrounding Will Smith’s omission from the franchise would soon follow suit. While that has indeed happened, it’s the reasoning that’s peculiar. The report by Variety doesn’t mention anything about a creative shift, rather scheduling conflicts. It also states that the studio was actually keen on bringing back Smith and Robbie.
One can’t help but wonder which of these stories are accurate. Perhaps it’s a mixture of various reasons. Regardless, Warner Bros and DC have been on a roll lately, so it’s only fair that we give the studio the benefit of the doubt. Besides, James Gunn is one of the most talented helmers working today and more than the cast, it is Gunn’s creative vision that I’m most excited about.
Suicide Squad 2 is set to hit the big screens in August 2021.
Source: Variety
