Director James Gunn sets the record straight about Will Smith being rumored to return to the DCEU as Deadshot in Suicide Squad 3. One of the DCEU franchises that is currently in limbo is Warner Bros.' Suicide Squad film series, which began in 2016. David Ayer helmed the first installment, which was a box office success, grossing $746.8 million globally, despite receiving abysmal reviews from critics. Ayer didn't return for the second film, and Gunn boarded the franchise by directing The Suicide Squad, which served as a sequel and soft-reboot without continuing too many plot points from the 2016 film.Due to the global pandemic, The Suicide Squad was one of the many Warner Bros. films that got released in theaters while simultaneously streaming on HBO Max in 2021. Because of that strategy, Gunn's film only pulled in $168 million worldwide while having success on the HBO-branded streaming service. Despite Gunn having ideas for Suicide Squad 3, Warner Bros. hasn't indicated whether they are looking to continue the film franchise. Instead, Gunn has been busy working with the studio on The Suicide Squad spinoff projects, including John Cena's Peacemaker series, which got renewed for season 2.Suicide Squad 3 not being in the works isn't stopping the online world from spreading rumors about a theoretical sequel. In recent days, one has floated around that Warner Bros. Discovery wants to do Suicide Squad 3 and bring back Smith's Deadshot, who didn't appear in The Suicide Squad due to scheduling conflicts. Supposedly, the studio wasn't interested in continuing Gunn's version of the franchise and was instead eying to bring back Ayer to direct the sequel. However, it didn't take long for Gunn to debunk the rumor after a fan inquired on Twitter if there were any truth to this Suicide Squad 3 report:
Could Will Smith's Deadshot Return to the DCEU?
To clarify, Gunn debunking this specific report doesn't mean he is attached to Suicide Squad 3, as the studio hasn't officially greenlit it. Still, this does raise the question of whether Smith's Deadshot could ever return to the DCEU. Since none of the other DCEU films have addressed his status since 2016's Suicide Squad, he could easily return as Floyd Lawton, but it would depend on the project. While there was a Deadshot solo movie in the works, the project was scrapped, according to a report in April 2022. However, if Gunn and Smith are both interested, perhaps Deadshot could appear in one of The Suicide Squad spinoff projects on HBO Max.
While the DCEU hasn't closed the door on Deadshot, it's unclear whether Warner Bros. Discovery would want to work with Smith. After slapping Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards, Smith's career in Hollywood has faced a few challenges. Since Warner Bros. Discovery has not made any comments on the future of the Suicide Squad franchise, it's hard to know if they even intend to use Deadshot in upcoming DCEU movies. If they were to use him, it remains to be seen if they would bring Smith back or recast the role, especially if that was for a Suicide Squad 3 movie.
Source: James Gunn
