Idris Elba in Talks to Replace Will Smith in The Suicide Squad

Idris Elba could be stepping into Task Force X just as Will Smith walks away. Elba is in talks to replace Smith in The Suicide Squad according to THR. The site reports that according to their sources, Elba met with Gunn on Friday and it went so well that talks began with the studio. The Luthor actor was Gunn and the studio’s first and only choice.

If he signs on, Elba would join Margot Robbie who is expected to reprise her role as Harley Quinn. THR notes that there is conflicting information about whether Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flagg will return, with one source saying he’s expected to be back and another source saying he’s no longer in the film. Gunn is reportedly using mostly DC characters who weren’t in the 2016 film.

This would be Elba’s second superhero film for one of the Big Two, having played Heimdall in the Thor films. He follows Zachary Levi in jumping from Marvel to DC; Levi played Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before signing on to play Shazam in the upcoming film about that DC hero.

The Suicide Squad is set to release on August 6th, 2021.