Will Smith’s Deadshot Solo Movie Has Been Canceled

It looks like another planned Will Smith movie has been canceled with a Deadshot solo offering no longer in the works for the actor

By Britta DeVore | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

will smith deadshot

Another superhero standalone movie has been canned. It has come to light that Will Smith’s Deadshot film is officially down the tubes. The DCEU film has been a thing of lore for a while with rumors swirling as to whether it would ever come to form. But we’re sorry to tell you that it just ain’t gonna happen. If you, like many, are now wondering whether this had something to do with the actor’s actions at the Academy Awards a few weeks back, it reportedly had been canceled long before that. 

The rumor of a Will Smith Deadshot movie initially began churning back in 2016 following the release of Suicide Squad. A popular character and performance by Smith, fans wanted to see more of the expert marksman. Fast forward to 2018, when Smith was asked if the film would still be happening, he gave a cagey “I hope so,” leading us to believe that even then, he knew it wasn’t probable. Since no one replaced him in James Gunn’s 2021 The Suicide Squad, chances for Smith to reprise his role as Deadshot could still be floating around in the ether. However, with regards to those in Hollywood who display bad behavior, like the recent allegations against The Flash actor, Ezra Miller, it’s hard to say exactly what will be ahead for Smith’s connections to the DCEU.

Now, the reasoning behind canceling plans for the Deadshot movie are hazier. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with recent Will Smith news, of which there has been quite a bit. If, for some incredibly bizarre reason, you’ve found this article on the internet, but nothing about what is being deemed as “the slap heard around the world,” let us quickly catch you up. During the 94th Oscars ceremony on March 27th, comedian Chris Rock was presenting the Best Documentary Feature award. As most hosts do, Rock gave a little pizazz before he announced the winner and as a comedian, he began cracking jokes at the audience’s expense. When the joker turned his sights on Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, things got violent.

Will Smith Deadshot

Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith appearing in a GI Jane movie because she dons a short haircut due to a battle with alopecia. At first, viewers saw Will Smith laughing while his wife shook her head before the cameras cut back to Rock standing on the stage. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Will Smith began strutting down the platform towards Rock where he gave a wind-up and slapped Rock right in the face. The madness was just beginning as when Smith returned to his seat, he could be seen mouthing “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!” It was crazy! Wild! And overall insane with many (including Lupita Nyong’o who was seated directly behind the Smiths) wondering if this was all staged. It wasn’t! 

Since then, fans, fellow performers, and members of the Academy have been calling for Will Smith to face some sort of punishment. He went on to win the award for Best Actor, so one thought was to strip him of that. No matter what happens, we think it’s important at this point in the article to remind everyone that the award for Best Documentary Feature went to Summer of Soul, a moment that was absolutely overshadowed by the fallout of the slap. While this Deadshot cancellation is a disappointment, it doesn’t appear to have to do with recent events.