The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Was So Secretive About Idris Elba's Role Even the Crew Was Confused

When James Gunn first began casting his film The Suicide Squad there was some confusion about what [...]

When James Gunn first began casting his film The Suicide Squad there was some confusion about what role Idris Elba would be taking. At first it appeared that Elba would be playing the part of Deadshot, taking over from Will Smith whose schedule wouldn't permit him to be part of the film. After WB decided to leave the character open for Smith to potentially return one day the part was rewritten to be a different DC character, but who wasn't announced until much later. Gunn was asked on Twitter if the production filmed alternate scene for the movie and different deaths to prevent leaks and though the answer was no Gunn did detail the lengths they went to keep Elba's role of Bloodsport a secret.

"To keep Idris Elba's character from getting out we called him Vigilante in the script & on his chair back," Gunn revealed. "We kept it so secret that, we were a week away from finishing shooting & the production designer, Beth Mickle, said, 'wait, he's not Vigilante?' And to make it weirder, DC's character Vigilante is one of the leads of my #Peacemaker show. Also some of the cast just recently saw the end of the film for the first time (or haven't seen it yet) because most of them only got the script up until the point their character dies."

Earlier this week with the release of the new trailer for the film came confirmation that Bloodsport's biggest claim to fame in DC Comics will be making its way to the big screen too, shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. Whether or not this could lead to an actual cameo from Cavill remains to be seen.

Gunn previously lauded Idris Elba on his birthday, saying the actor went "beyond expectations" as Bloodsport in their first collaboration. "I rarely write roles for actors I've never met, but I did exactly that for @idriselba in #TheSuicideSquad & couldn't be happier I did - you went beyond my expectations as an actor AND as a human being," Gunn wrote in an Instagram post last year. "I can't wait for folks to see you as #Bloodsport."

The Suicide Squad releases in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6.

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