James Gunn's "soft reboot" of The Suicide Squad may not have been a box office success but it undeniably set the tone for his DC Universe which to many fans felt like a step in the right direction. His version of the film made several alterations to David Ayer's version while keeping integral characters like Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, and Amanda Waller.
The film also brought us new faces with Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), and Bloodsport (Idris Elba) being absolute standouts. Speaking of the latter, a recently surfaced concept art for the 2021 DCU film by concept artist David Levy (via Comic Book Resources) shows a scrapped costume for Robert DuBois and it definitely raises questions about the actor's true role in the project.
If you look closely at the suit, it seems to resemble the tactical gear Will Smith's Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot wore in David Ayer's 2016 version of the film. While the artist didn't give out details about the unused costume, it's almost safe to assume that Elba was meant to replace Smith in Gunn's first DCU outing. Check it out below:
Also Read: The Suicide Squad's Sylvester Stallone Confirms Upcoming DCU Return
It's worth mentioning that the DC Studios head reportedly intended for the Marvel actor to play Deadshot in his version of The Suicide Squad but ultimately changed his mind, presumably to make way for Smith to reprise the character down the line. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but I'd definitely be down to see him return despite his recent controversies. I mean, a Deadshot film under Gunn and Peter Safran's "new" DCU seems like an interesting prospect.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is available to stream on HBO Max.
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