Back when the cast was announced for Warner Bros.' new comic-book franchise, we were genuinely surprised to see Mr. Hardy in the lineup.
Hardy is known for being smart with his roles and rarely repeats himself on screen. Not only that, in an interview during the press tour for The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy wasn't all that complimentary about comic-book films in the first place.
In any case, Tom Hardy has dropped out of Suicide Squad. The initial rumour suggested that it was a scheduling problem, but now it's looking like Hardy took umbrage with the script.
According to some reports, Hardy's role in the film - he'll play Rick Flagg, the leader of Suicide Squad - was severely reduced in order to make more time for Jared Leto and Will Smith.
It's an ensemble film, don't forget, so no one person is going to have all the time they'd like.
As for who'll replace Hardy, the studio already have someone in mind - Nightcrawler's Jake Gyllenhaal.
Suicide Squad director David Ayer has worked with Jake Gyllenhaal on the very-underrated End of Watch, so there's a familiarity there.
The film is locked into a Summer 2016 release, so someone will have to fill out the role soon.
