Idris Elba to Replace Will Smith in Suicide Squad 2: Report
The Suicide Squad has found its new Deadshot.
A week after reports surfaced that Will Smith wouldn’t be returning for Suicide Squad 2, Variety now reports that Warner Bros. has set their sights on Idris Elba. PEOPLE’s reigning Sexiest Man Alive is reportedly the favorite to take over the role as leader of the squad.
The movie would come in the middle of an action boom for Elba, who next plays the villain in the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. He also continued to play a detective investigating the most terrifying crimes in BBC’s Luther and is starring as a washed-up DJ in the upcoming Netflix show Turn Up Charlie.
RELATED: Will Smith Won’t Return for Suicide Squad 2: Report
Smith, 50, served as the face of the original, which also featured Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker and Viola Davis as the government official who puts the squad together.
WATCH: Idris Elba Isn’t Giving Up PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive Title ‘As Long as I’m Alive’
Smith’s absence boils down to scheduling conflicts, according to Variety. The actor is currently filming the recently-announced Bad Boys reboot and next appears on Disney’s live-action Aladdin.
James Gunn, who was fired from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise for old tweets joking about rape and pedophilia, signed on to write and potentially direct the sequel late last year. Filming is set to begin this fall, according to Variety. No one from the cast has been confirmed to return to the sequel yet.
The first movie was a blockbuster hit, making over $746.8 million worldwide, and also starred Ike Barinholtz, Jaime FitzSimons and David Harbour.
