Will Smith's Deadshot Movie Not Happening Is Good (The DCEU Replaced Him)

screenrant.com:

A Will SmithDeadshot movie could have happened, but it’s actually good news for the DCEU that it didn’t. Following the conflicting reports of a Warner Bros. meeting to discuss the future of Ezra Miller’s films for the studio, it has been revealed that a Deadshot solo film starring Will Smith was once in development. The film, however, was reportedly put on hold due to Smith's $20 million salary requirement.

Will Smith played Floy Lawton, the mercenary known as Deadshot, in 2016's Suicide Squad. Despite the terrible reviews, Suicide Squad made $746 million at the box office, and before the release of Aladdin was the highest-grossing Will Smith film. That helps explain why a spin-off for Deadshot was originally planned, and why a Harley Quinn film and a sequel happened despite Suicide Squad's reception. Smith also had the chance to return to the role of Deadshot in The Suicide Squad, but couldn’t be in the movie due to schedule conflicts.

Related: What Will Smith Resigning From The Academy Actually Means

Will Smith's Deadshot movie not happening makes sense when considering that the DCEU has effectively replaced the character. As Will Smith didn’t reprise his role as Deadshot in The Suicide Squad, writer and director James Gunn chose Bloodsport as the new reluctant villain with a daughter to protect and whose skills revolved around guns. Although Deadshot not being recast had left the door open for Will Smith to return, a solo Deadshot film at this point would feel like a regression given how associated the character is with the critically panned Suicide Squad. While Will Smith's performance as Deadshot was one of the few highlights of the movie, the character's arc in it now feels flat compared to how The Suicide Squad