Idris Elba in talks to play new character in Suicide Squad sequel as makers remove Deadshot from film

British star Idris Elba will not be playing antihero Deadshot in the sequel to Suicide Squad. It was reported that the 46-year-old actor will be taking over the role which was vacated by original star Will Smith earlier this year.

Smith played the part in David Ayer’s 2016 film alongside Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Col Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. Suicide Squad became a massive box office sensation in 2016 and grossed $746 million worldwide, despite poor reviews from critics.

According to Variety , the new film, which is touted as a “complete reboot”, will feature Elba in a new character. Warner Bros is yet to confirm.

The new Suicide Squad will be directed by filmmaker James Gunn , who is best known for helming Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Production is slated to start in Atlanta in September, as the studio finalised the sequel’s release date to be 6 August, 2021. The release date is still quite far and the details on who else will be joining Elba is expected to be revealed in time.

Elba has some big upcoming releases on the big screen. He’ll be seen alongside Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham for The Fast and the Furious spin-off  Hobbs and Shaw . He’ll also play the role of Macavity in Tom Hooper‘s film adaptation of the Broadway sensation  Cats  with Taylor Swift, James Corden, and Jennifer Hudson.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)