A Will Smith Deadshot movie could have happened, but it’s actually good news for the DCEU that it didn’t. Following the conflicting reports of a Warner Bros. meeting to discuss the future of Ezra Miller’s films for the studio, it has been revealed that a Deadshot solo film starring Will Smith was once in development. The film, however, was reportedly put on hold due to Smith's $20 million salary requirement.

Will Smith played Floy Lawton, the mercenary known as Deadshot, in 2016's Suicide Squad. Despite the terrible reviews, Suicide Squad made $746 million at the box office, and before the release of Aladdin was the highest-grossing Will Smith film. That helps explain why a spin-off for Deadshot was originally planned, and why a Harley Quinn film and a sequel happened despite Suicide Squad's reception. Smith also had the chance to return to the role of Deadshot in The Suicide Squad, but couldn’t be in the movie due to schedule conflicts.

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Will Smith's Deadshot movie not happening makes sense when considering that the DCEU has effectively replaced the character. As Will Smith didn’t reprise his role as Deadshot in The Suicide Squad, writer and director James Gunn chose Bloodsport as the new reluctant villain with a daughter to protect and whose skills revolved around guns. Although Deadshot not being recast had left the door open for Will Smith to return, a solo Deadshot film at this point would feel like a regression given how associated the character is with the critically panned Suicide Squad. While Will Smith's performance as Deadshot was one of the few highlights of the movie, the character's arc in it now feels flat compared to how The Suicide Squad handled Bloodsport – both in terms of his relationship with his daughter and how his skills play into the team. Essentially, if any characters from the Suicide Squad franchise besides Harley Quinn were to receive their own movie, then it would make more sense to be the characters from the much more well-received The Suicide Squad.

Will Smith as Deadshot in Suicide Squad

It's also worth noting that Will Smith's Deadshot is closely tied to Ben Affleck's Batman. It’s Affleck’s Batman who Smith’s Deadshot goes up against at the beginning of Suicide Squad, and it’s the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s version of the hero who arrests Floyd Lawton. However, Ben Affleck's status as Batman in the DCEU is still quite uncertain, with the actor having already stated he no longer has an interest in working with IPs. If Ben Affleck's Batman and his universe don't continue in the DCEU after The Flash, then it would make even less sense for a movie focused on one of his villains to be made. The Suicide Squad characters like Bloodsport and Peacemaker, on the other hand, are not tied to any specific version of a DCEU hero and may have a much more consistent future in this new phase of the franchise.

There's no doubt that Will Smith could carry a Deadshot solo movie, but it's good for the DCEU that the project never went ahead. Aside from the financial matter, a Deadshot movie would also be a risky gamble in terms of audience reception, and it could have suffered the same kind of rejection that Birds of Prey and even the well-received The Suicide Squad suffered because of the first Suicide Squad. The 2016 movie shouldn't be something the DCEU wants to revisit, and the franchise should instead look to the future.

Next: The Suicide Squad's Bloodsport Repeats Deadshot's Arc (But Better)

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