Idris Elba is crossing from Marvel to DC. The actor who played Heimdal in Marvel Studios’ ‘Thor’ movies is in serious negotiations to replace Will Smith in ‘The Suicide Squad’ which was written and will be directed by James Gunn and is said to be more of a reboot than a straight-forward sequel to the 2016 film, ‘Suicide Squad’. Last week, it was announced that Smith, who played Deadshot/Floyd Lawton had to pass on the new film due to scheduling conflicts. Most assumed that meant that Deadshot simply wouldn’t be in ‘The Suicide Squad’, but now we know otherwise.
Elba met with Gunn on Friday and the encounter apparently went so well, that negotiations began immediately. Reportedly, Elba was Gunn and Warner Brothers’ first and only choice.
Gunn’s script reportedly uses mostly new characters– dozens have been part of the Squad in the comics– but the plan was to keep Smith’s Deadshot, Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn, and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flagg, the team’s leader. However, one source reports that Flagg is actually not in Gunn’s script.
It would make sense to bring the other two back. Smith was the biggest star going into the first movie, while Robbie’s Harley was the breakout new star, inspiring a legion of new fans and selling a crap-load of merchandising. But in all honesty, Smith’s character didn’t really shine, so not bringing Deadshot back for the sequel wouldn’t have been a huge loss.
Elba’s Marvel character, Heimdal was killed off in the opening scene of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and prior to that, Elba had expressed his dislike of playing the role and appearing in the Marvel films. (Not sure how he thinks being in a DC movie will be all that different…)
He is hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ this weekend. He will next be seen on the big screen in ‘Hobbs & Shaw’, the ‘Fast & Furious’ spinoff opening on August 2. He plays Brixton, the villain in that picture. He is also attached to play Macavity in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical ‘Cats’. (Oh, Idris, WHY?!)
Production on ‘The Suicide Squad’ is expected to begin soon, as it is scheduled to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
What do you think of Idris Elba taking over for Smith in ‘The Suicide Squad’?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
