The Suicide Squad will reportedly put the spotlight on Deadshot. Will Smith recently left the project and Idris Elba is taking over, after being James Gunn's first choice to reboot the role. It seems the character is going to be the focus of the sequel, presented drastically different from the one we saw in David Ayers' first installment. With that being said, things could get pretty dark when the movie hits theaters.
According to sources, James Gunn's Suicide Squad 2 is going to be based off of the Jon Ostrander and Kim Yale's '80s run of Deadshot, not the New 52 version that David Ayer used. If this is true, things are going to take place earlier and feature a time when the character was reckless and suicidal. This is a far cry from the conflicted criminal struggling to raise his daughter that Will Smith played in the 2016 movie, which could also be a reason why Smith stepped down from the role.
Jon Ostrander and Kim Yale's take on Deadshot feature a pretty bleak backstory. A young Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, and his brother Edward were a part of an assassination plot by their mother to take out their father after he paralyzed her. However, the plan backfires when Floyd fires the gun and kills his brother instead. It's at this time that Floyd realizes he doesn't have any feeling for human life, not his family's and not even his own. Things get even more tweaked from there, which could be a very interesting starting point for James Gunn to tackle.
Related: Will Smith's Deadshot Won't Return in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad
If this news ends up being accurate, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is going to be a dream for hardcore DC fans who felt that Deadshot wasn't what they were hoping for with the first installment. This story takes the character to his dark roots, which can be explored in any number of ways on the big screen, especially with the new characters that Gunn is bringing on board to flesh out the story. Ratcatcher, Polka-Dot Man, Peacemaker, and King Shark are going to be the new members of the squad.
Though Margot Robbie has not been confirmed for The Suicide Squad, it is believed that she will reprise her role as Harley Quinn after she wraps production on the Birds of Prey movie. It will be a very interesting juxtaposition to see the comedic elements of Quinn interact with the old school version of Deadshot where his life is turned upside down. James Gunn has proven that he can take darker themes and mix them with humor, so this could all end up working out pretty well. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to announce that Deadshot is going to be the focus of James Gunn's Suicide Squad 2.
