The Suicide Squad will drop Deadshot completely and cast Idris Elba as a new character

News about The Suicide Squad is now coming fast and furious. We thankfully learned that Viola Davis will return as Amanda Waller, and that Jai Courtney will reprise his role as Captain Boomerang. Margot Robbie is expected to resurface as Harley Quinn as well, though the rest of the squad may be made up of new characters. And although it was previously reported that marksman Deadshot would be recast for the movie (Will Smith out, and Idris Elba in), we now have news that Deadshot supposedly is out of the film completely. 

Variety reports that writer/director James Gunn has decided to "move on" from the Deadshot character, who will not be appearing in the film at all. Worry not, Idris Elba fans — the actor is still set to appear in The Suicide Squad, but instead of donning Will Smith's Deadshot mask, he'll be playing a new character. Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the report.

It is not yet known what character Elba will be playing, but the world of DC is certainly full of potential roles. Even if you limit those roles down to the rotating in-and-out members of the Suicide Squad, there's already a lot of options. Everyone from King Shark to Polka-Dot Man have been rumored to be joining the team, though neither seems like the right fit for Elba. 

The team reportedly took a few weeks to discuss the decision, and that they all felt, Variety writes, "it was the right move" and that they "did not want to feel as if it was disrespecting Smith," who originated the role. With Deadshot sitting the film out completely, it potentially leaves that aforementioned rotating door open for Smith — who reportedly dropped out due to scheduling issues — to return to the team in a future film. 

Not only that, it also gives Elba a lot more freedom in terms of what he gets to do and how he can put his stamp on the franchise. Starting with a clean slate makes much more sense for an actor of his magnitude (not to mention one coming over from the MCU where he played Heimdall, who seemingly met his doom in Avengers: Infinity War). Plus, it makes the film feel like more of a sequel and less like a reboot — the latter of which, considering who is returning, seems less and less likely. 

Now then — whom do we think Elba will end up playing? Peacemaker? Condiment King? King Tut? Superman, maybe? Shoot us some ideas in the comments.