Tom Hardy ‘Suicide Squad’ Exit: Real Reason For Actor’s Departure Reveals Blockbuster Spoilers

Tom Hardy’s exit from Suicide Squad was announced yesterday, and it immediately set off speculation over why the British actor had really exited the blockbuster.

Hardy had previously been cast as Rick Flag, alongside Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as the Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang.

Tom Hardly was allegedly told that Rick Flag would be the leading character in Suicide Squad, which is why he originally signed on to portray him. However, after Suicide Squad’s first script was given to the actors involved, the emphasis of the film had allegedly been given to Deadshot and The Joker, both of whom are more popular in mainstream pop culture than Rick Flagg.

Latino Review reported that according to their sources, Tom Hardy “simply didn’t like the script he was finally given.” This then led to his amicable departure.

Yesterday, when it was announced that Tom Hardy wouldn’t be fulfilling his work with Suicide Squad, it was revealed that scheduling issues were the reason for his departure.

This was because the English actor’s work filming The Revenant, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s frontier drama that also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, is set to go longer than previously planned.

Another issue was that Tom Hardy would have to promote Mad Max: Fury Road for Warner Bros. ahead of its May 15 release date. This would have been smack bang in the middle of Suicide Squad’s shoot, which begins in the middle of April in Toronto, Canada. Tom Hardy will need to travel across the globe to fulfill his promotional efforts.

The new rumors suggest that Will Smith and Jared Leto, who will portray Deadshot and The Joker in David Ayers’ Suicide Squad, will be leading the way in the comic-book adaptation. This means that Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, and Captain Boomerang would simply be supporting characters instead.

If this is the case then fans of the Suicide Squad comics would likely be furious at the treatment of these beloved comic characters.

It also remains to be seen whether Jake Gyllenhaal, who has been heavily linked to replacing Tom Hardy in the role, will still decide to proceed with the part in lieu of the new script. David Ayer and Jake Gyllenhaal previously worked together on the police thriller End of Watch, while Gyllenhaal was heavily praised for his work recently in Nightcrawler. Suicide Squad will be released on August 5, 2016.

[Image via BP]