Tom Hardy Drops Out of SUICIDE SQUAD, Jake Gyllenhaal Might Replace Him

Update: Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly being eyed to replace Hardy. More on that at the bottom of this page. Original article follows.

The A-list cast of Suicide Squad just lost their leader.

THR reports that Tom Hardy has bailed from David Ayer's Suicide Squad, and though the reasons for his exit aren't known at this time, scheduling is being pegged as the culprit...for now. Hardy is currently shooting The Revenant with his Inception co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for Birdman director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, and filming for that film is expected to longer than originally anticipated.

Hardy leaves behind a cast that includes Will Smith (Deadshot), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Jared Leto (The Joker), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), and Cara Delevigne (Enchantress). He would have played Rick Flagg, the leader of the team of villains who are given a chance to redeem their crimes by serving the government as secret operatives. This would have been Hardy's second time playing a DC Comics character, following his famous portrayal of Bane in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

As a fan of Hardy, I'm torn about this. It sucks that he won't join such a great cast in this movie, but hopefully it'll mean he can move on to something better suited for him. Who do you think should take his place as Rick Flagg in Suicide Squad? Let us know below.

Update: TheWrap reports that David Ayer is courting his End of Watch star Jake Gyllenhaal to replace Hardy in the film. No deal has been made yet, but with Gyllenhaal coming off of a fantastic performance in the indie film Nightcrawler, it'd be interesting to see him jump into a mainstream superhero movie - especially since he's come close to playing Spider-Man and Batman over the years.