When Tom Hardy had to step down from the role of Rick Flagg in the new ‘Suicide Squad’ film, many fans felt that was the beginning of the end for the movie. Don’t get me wrong, everyone knew it was going to be get made, but a major actor bowing out due to the rumored script problems and changes to his character never bodes well for a film. However, Hardy has recently come out in defense of the film, claiming that it had nothing to do with either of those issues, as he had been excited to be a part of the ‘Suicide Squad’ film, and only left because of a scheduling conflict. See his full quote below:

“There’s a very practical element as to why I’ve missed out on that foray, which is because Alejando [G. Inarritu] has overshot by three months in Calgary, so we’ve got to go back out to Patagonia or Alaska to continue shooting. The Revenant which has turned into a much bigger beast than we thought, but that also looks exceptional.”

Photo credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

For Hardy, it was a tough decision to leave the movie, as he claims he genuinely thought ‘Suicide Squad‘ had an amazing script and he was excited to be working alongside actors like Will Smith and Jared Leto on such an interesting film. Also, as he states, “Warner Brothers is my home studio and I love them so I was really bummed out.” Which makes sense, as Warner Bros has been behind Hardy’s biggest hit films, like ‘Inception,’ ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ ‘Rock N Rolla,’ and his current bonkers action movie, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’

Fortunately, Hardy has been replaced by Joel Kinnaman, a remarkable actor will bring his own touches to the character and be more than an able stand-in for Hardy, and looks at home in the recently released cast picture of the Squad (for me, its the disappointing costumes that make the photo hard to swallow, not the absence of Hardy).

What are your thoughts on Hardy’s comments? Did he genuinely leave such a potentially lucrative franchise just because of a scheduling problem? Or is there a chance his loyalty to Warner Brothers encouraged him to explain his absence from a film in a way that did not shine a negative light on the script or the character’s handling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: Cinemablend