Are DC & Warner Bros. Wasting Will Smith?

No one is more excited about the upcoming Suicide Squad movie than me. I love the concept of the government employing criminals for near impossible missions. My hope is that it mirrors the success of Marvel’s formerly unproven property, Guardians of the Galaxy. The DC animated universe did such a great job with the Batman: Assault on Arkham movie. I imagine the live action version will borrow some aspects of that. While the cast for Suicide Squad is great, one person sticks out to me; Will Smith. Could DC be wasting his talents?

Will Smith will be playing the character of Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot in the Suicide Squad movie. While hardcore fans may know who he is, casual fans do not. He is a hired assassin and the world’s greatest marksman. Fans of Marvel could compare him to Bullseye, who was portrayed by Collin Farrell in Daredevil.  

Why Will Smith though? A bunch of actors could have played this role. While he has taken a step back in recent years, Will Smith is still an A-list actor. He has been nominated for two Academy awards and has a number of successful blockbuster movies to his name. I really feel DC could be wasting his talents by putting him in an ensemble cast. Perhaps they feel they need his star power and name recognition for this movie to be successful. If we have learned anything in recent years though, it is that you do not need superstars to produce box office results. Especially when it comes to superhero movies.

If DC is looking to bring Will Smith into their universe, a bigger character may be a better fit. The Green Lantern reboot is scheduled for release in 2020. Playing the role of John Stewart could be great for everyone. Ryan Reynolds is not coming back and DC would like fans to forget about that movie. Why not introduce John Stewart to the masses than? The move could also add even more diversity to the DC cinematic universe. This would be great since they are trying to distance themselves from Marvel.

It was not too long ago that actors laughed at the proposition of being in a superhero movie, so I am glad times have changed. I am excited Will Smith will be playing Deadshot. I know he will do a great job with the character. I just think if he had waited or negotiated differently, a better opportunity could have presented itself.