Written by Joy Lyn Parohinog Francisco
Will Smith is open to playing Deadshot again if the villain has a new character arc.
2016’s Suicide Squad with Will Smith’s Deadshot grabbed $746 million at the box office.
Even though it didn’t get much critical acclaim with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 26%, it still had a bit of a decent 59% audience score from over 100,000 ratings.
Suicide Squad is about a group of incarcerated individuals that Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) recruited. Waller chose Deadshot to lead this group and named them Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad.
Will Smith’s Deadshot is an excellent marksman and never misses a target. He has built a reputation as a gun-for-hire in the villain community. This led him to a quagmire of a conundrum with the law. Despite his killer reputation and apparent disregard for life including his own, he is fiercely loving to his daughter Zoe. His daughter is his only reason to live for. Also, all his earnings from his “profession” is in the sole mission to provide for Zoe’s needs and future.
Will Smith Ready To Play Deadshot Again
Image: DC Films
Audience had a mixed impression on the film but many still expressed favoring how the story is delivered.
In the comic books, Deadshot is the leader of the Suicide Squad. The Suicide Squad movie followed this story even the point where Deadshot is adamant about securing his daughter’s future.
Smith’s absence in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is glaringly noticeable. A good number of people noted that the character Bloodsport, portrayed by actor Idris Elba, is just a retelling of Deadshot.
Will Smith and Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran stated that the reason for his absence is time constraint. This actually gave the fans hope that Smith can still come back in the DCEU.
Back in 2021, Will Smith commented after Elba did not replace him as Deadshot:
Alright, cool, so I can come back.
The Suicide Squad without Will Smith stumbled last year at the box office. From a $185 million budget, it only got $167 million globally. Many factors were cited that caused this disappointment. From the pandemic, to the streaming HBO Max release 30 days after theatrical premiere, to the movie reportedly having a “reboot or sequel” identity crisis, up to overly optimistic forecasts of sales among others.
Geekosity Editor-in-Chief Mikey Sutton called The Suicide Squad a failure.
Included in the speculated cause of its failure in the box office is Will Smith’s missing Deadshot.
Warner Bros still want Will Smith as Deadshot.
Will Smith Ready To Play Deadshot Again
Image: DC Films
Some find The Suicide Squad is enjoyable. Maybe timing really is the problem for the movie. With the spin-off series Peacemaker in HBO Max that came and finished superbly in the beginning of this year, it’s proof that with a good delivery in story writing, a character, even a villain, can be likable.
Will Smith’s been talking to Warner Bros about returning as Deadshot. Apparently, the actor will only consider portraying Floyd Lawton again if he ends up being a member of the Justice League.
This gives quite a tall order for Deadshot’s character journey. From an elite marksman hired by top tier villains of DC to a member of the very group that embodies truth, justice and everything good that Deadshot is not readily familiar with.
Undoubtedly, this journey will still begin with his love for his daughter, Zoe. Everything else will follow from there. The kind of style in presentation of this story arc may also deviate from the predominantly dark tones of Suicide Squad. The charm of the Peacemaker had dark comedy in it. Smith definitely has comedic chops, no question about that.
Because Peacemaker practically said the Justice League belongs in his world, introducing Deadshot in this world gives him a way towards JL.
Indeed this journey will not involve just one or two movies. Will Smith knows this. This tells us he is invested in the idea and is willing to commit to a longer haul.
We sincerely hope DC and Warner Bros. deliver.