Will Smith, who starred in David Ayer's James Gunn-directed follow-up mostly stands alone from Ayer's original film apart from a handful of returning cast .
Unfortunately, Smith was not among the cast to return for the sequel. At the time of filming, Smith's busy schedule made it impossible for him to reprise his role in Gunn's movie. Warner Bros. instead handed the lead role to Idris Elba, who played a separate character named Bloodsport so that Smith could return to play Deadshot in the future if he so chooses to. Despite playing different characters, Deadshot and Bloodsport share superficial similarities, such as the fact that both are mercenaries and both have narrative arcs involving an estranged young daughter.
In a recent video for GQ, Smith addressed a fan tweet that questioned why he couldn't return as Deadshot for The Suicide Squad. Smith asks the producer, "they left out Deadshot, right?" which the producer confirms. Relieved, the actor replies, "all right, cool, so I can come back."
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
Deadshot was one of the more praised aspects of the first Suicide Squad film, due in large part to Smith's charismatic portrayal of the classic DC villain. Thanks to the foresight of The Suicide Squad's producers, Smith now has a chance to reprise the role at a later date. The actor isn't currently confirmed for any of DC's feature films, though there is room for him to pop up in the various spinoff shows headed to HBO Max; there may even be a slim chance that he appears in the Peacemaker spinoff series, though it's highly unlikely given the actor's busy shooting schedule.
Following the events of Gunn's The Suicide Squad, there is plenty of room for Deadshot to make his return. It would be fun to see Smith go toe-to-toe against Elba's Bloodsport, or perhaps even develop a closer relationship with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) – a story thread which was cut from the first Suicide Squad. Whatever the scenario may be, hopefully Smith will get a second chance to reprise the role of Deadshot sooner rather than later.
Source: GQ
