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David Ayer wanted to cast Shia LaBeouf in Suicide Squad​, but Warner Bros. thought he was too crazy

September 6, 2016 by Gary Collinson

During an interview with Variety, Shia LaBeouf has revealed that his Fury director David Ayer hoped to cast him in Suicide Squad in the role of GQ Edwards (subsequently played by Scott Eastwood), only for Warner Bros. to veto the idea.

“The character was different initially,” states LaBeouf. “Then Will [Smith] came in, and the script changed a bit. That character and Tom [Hardy’s] character [later played by Joel Kinnaman] got written down to build Will up. I don’t think Warner Bros. wanted me. I went in to meet, and they were like, ‘Nah, you’re crazy. You’re a good actor, but not this one.’ It was a big investment for them.”

SEE ALSO: Suicide Squad overtakes Man of Steel at the worldwide box office

Would you have liked to see LaBeouf in Suicide Squad, and are there any other DC roles you think he’d be a good fit for? Let us know in the comments below…

It feels good to be bad…Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

SEE ALSO: Follow all of our DC Extended Universe coverage here

Suicide Squad sees David Ayer (Fury) directing a cast that includes Will Smith (Focus) as Deadshot, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flag, Viola Davis (The Help) as Amanda Waller, Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns) as Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc, Jay Hernandez (Hostel) as El Diablo, Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Jim Parrack (Fury) as Johnny Frost, Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Batman, newcomer Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Common (Selma) as Monster T, Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) as Captain Griggs and Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride) as Lieutenant ‘GQ’ Edwards.

 

Originally published September 6, 2016. Updated October 24, 2022.

Filed Under: Gary Collinson, Movies, News Tagged With: David Ayer, DC, DC Extended Universe, Shia LaBeouf, Suicide Squad

About Gary Collinson

Gary Collinson is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Flickering Myth. He is a film, television and digital content writer and producer, whose work includes the gothic horror feature The Baby in the Basket and the suspense thriller Death Among the Pines. He is also the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.

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