After his debut in Suicide Squad, Will Smith’s Deadshot was reportedly going to get his own movie, but the project isn’t in DC’s future plans anymore. DC’s Extended Universe began back in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, setting the basis for a connected universe of characters from DC Comics. Man of Steel introduced Henry Cavill as the new Superman, who came back three years later in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, sharing the screen with Ben Affleck’ Batman.

The DCEU then decided to introduce a different group of characters in Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer. Suicide Squad follows a group of antiheroes – Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, Killer Croc, and Slipknot – who are recruited by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to go on dangerous black ops missions in exchange for reduced sentences. Suicide Squad came across with a lot of obstacles during post-production, as Warner order a series of reshoots in order to make it more lighthearted and comedic following the bad reception of Batman v Superman’s “somber” tone.

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As a result, Suicide Squad wasn’t well received by critics and audiences, who criticized the plot, character development, and direction – all aspects that were directly affected by the aforementioned reshoots. Still, some characters were a hit with the audience, and were considered for solo movies. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn got her big chance in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, which followed her life post-break up and showed that she’s way better off without the Joker. Will Smith’s Deadshot was supposed to get his own solo adventure too, but the project seems to have been forgotten, as it’s not part of the DCEU’s upcoming titles.

In September 2018, Will Smith confirmed talks of a Deadshot spinoff movie, but there weren’t any updates on the project after that. Suicide Squad was followed by Wonder Woman, which was better received than its predecessors, and Justice League, which didn’t perform as expected. The DCEU then went through major changes to keep it afloat, and very few previously teased projects were saved. Gotham City Sirens, for example, was replaced with Birds of Prey, and Man of Steel 2 still hasn’t happened. Although a reason for not doing a Deadshot solo movie hasn’t been shared, the reasons are most likely linked to this shift in the DCEU’s direction as well as Will Smith’s schedule.

Will Smith won’t be back in The Suicide Squad due to scheduling conflicts (as he was busy shooting King Richard), and it’s worth noting that the film was initially delayed in order to fit his schedule. The project went through many changes, including Ayer leaving and James Gunn taking his place, and Deadshot wasn’t recast in hopes that Smith can reprise his role in a future movie, which could be another Suicide Squad movie or the previously teased Deadshot solo movie. At this point, the DCEU’s future depends on how its already confirmed projects perform, and a Deadshot solo movie would also depend on Smith’s schedule and willingness to reprise the role, as well as the audience’s interest in seeing him on his own.

Key Release Dates
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  • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)Release date: Dec 25, 2020
  • The Suicide Squad (2021)Release date: Aug 06, 2021
  • The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
  • Black Adam (2022)Release date: Oct 21, 2022
  • DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
  • The Flash (2023)Release date: Jun 23, 2023
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)Release date: Mar 17, 2023
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About The Author


Adrienne Tyler
(3274 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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