Written by Edwin Francisco
Fans wonder if Warner Bros. Discovery could revive Will Smith’s Deadshot solo film.
Since Zack Snyder’s Justice League landed on HBO Max on March 18, 2021, social media forgot about Deadshot.
Well, for the most part.
In terms of SnyderVerse projects, the spotlight shone on the Justice League sequels, Ben Affleck’s Batman, and Henry Cavill’s Superman.
It’s understandable.
After all, Zack Snyder didn’t direct 2016’s Suicide Squad. David Ayer did. However, Warner Bros. apparently butchered it. But while there are loud calls to release The Ayer Cut, the Deadshot fan base is quiet.
However, Will Smith generated tremendous noise at the Oscars. For all the wrong reasons. Suddenly, people asked, “Whatever happened to the Deadshot film?”
Will HBO Max Revive Will Smith’s Deadshot Movie?
Image: Warner Bros.
Well, Will Smith’s Deadshot was already on hold before his infamous Oscar slap against Chris Rock.
Because of Will Smith’s shocking actions at the Academy Awards, various studios placed his projects on hiatus. For example, Netflix and Sony hit the pause button, namely Fast and Loose and Bad Boys 4 respectively.
But did it kill Deadshot, too?
There was a plan for the Snyderverse DCEU films to have several standalone movies after releasing Joss Whedon’s Justice League and Suicide Squad. But Whedon’s weak Justice League tanked. Afterwards, DC Films pumped the brakes on films such as New Gods and The Trench.
Worse yet, Warner Bros. wanted to end the SnyderVerse.
But the new company, Warner Bros. Discovery, will have a different perspective. Geekosity Editor-in-Chief Mikey Sutton has reported their plans to #restoretheSnyderverse for over a year now.
Currently, the merger is still in a transitional phase. New CEO David Zaslav has begun his series of firings and he isn’t finished.
We’ve leaked more Cavill Superman and Affleck Batman movies. Yet it’s been crickets for Deadshot.
It’s nothing personal.
Will Smith’s Deadshot was among Suicide Squad‘s highlights. Indeed, Deadshot’s presence arguably made it more entertaining than James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
Will Smith was not in the The Suicide Squad and some wondered why. Especially with Idris Elba’s Bloodsport that was obviously a clear replacement of Will Smith’s Deadshot. Most notable that both are with a similar backstory. It was reported before that Will Smith had scheduling conflicts which prevented him from participating in Gunn’s film.
Will HBO Max Revive Will Smith’s Deadshot Movie?
Image: Warner Bros.
And with the box-office numbers, it does seem his absence from the movie did affect its performance. In other words, don’t remove Will Smith from a film where people expect him to be. One only needs to look at MIB International or Independence Day: Resurgence.
There was even a question if Will Smith is still interested in returning to the role. We reported before that he was ready to get back to the role, but will only consider it if Deadshot gets to join the Justice League. DC fans know that the Suicide Squad is a collection of Batman villains. Deadshot never became one of the good guys. He is basically an assassin for hire.
Deadshot becoming or being a part of Justice League never happened in the comics. That means Will Smith is asking a lot to make him come back.
Still, sources revealed that HBO Max could revive the Deadshot movie. Nevertheless, HBO Max is looking to see if the Will Smith situation cools off. Furthermore, HBO Max wants to see how The Ayer Cut performs. In other words, Deadshot isn’t dead. There are factors in play before a decision is made.