Idris Elba will be playing a new character in the Suicide Squad sequel, according to an exclusive report by Variety. Elba was added to the cast once Smith stepped down from his role as Deadshot due to scheduling conflicts. Once he joined, it was still uncertain whether Elba was going to play Smith’s character. James Gunn, the director of the superhero film, agreed to remove this character from the upcoming film. All parties thought that this was a good decision to make. It may be possible for Smith to return as this character in a future film in the franchise because of this decision. It is still unknown which character Elba will be playing. It will be interesting to see how they explain Deadshot’s absence in the film.

The characters that will be carried over from the previous movie include Captain Boomerang played by Jai Courtney, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. The project will commence once Robbie finishes with Birds of Prey. The rest of the cast is still being selected, eyeing to begin production in the fall. The film’s release is slated for August 6, 2021.

Suicide Squad, released in 2016, earned $746 million at the global box office.