Tom Hardy Leaves Suicide Squad, Scarlett Johansson to Co-Star in Captain America: Civil War

Chances of survival are slim for the team of villains known as the Suicide Squad in the upcoming film of the same name. They have already lost one of their own, though it's not due to the story's high stakes. It's been revealed that Tom Hardy has departed from Suicide Squad, with another big name rumored to replace him. And on the Marvel movie news front, Scarlett Johansson has been confirmed for Captain America: Civil War.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Hardy will no longer co-star in Suicide Squad due to scheduling conflicts. Hardy was lined up to play Rick Flag, the Suicide Squad team leader with a military background. It's believed that Jake Gyllenhaal has been offered the chance to play the vacated role, but no official deals have been made. As shown below, the movie still retains a star-studded lineup:

• Jared Leto as The Joker, the well-known antagonist from Gotham City with a wicked sense of humor.

• Will Smith as Deadshot, another Gotham City villain. Deadshot is a weapons expert and assassin with a high sniping accuracy and a penchant for efficiency.

• Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, a former psychiatrist turned murderous madwoman by The Joker.

• Jai Courtney as Boomerang, a villain armed to the teeth in boomerangs that explode, slice, dice, and electrify.

• Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, a sorceress able to control and focus energy, allowing her the ability to teleport, mend wounds, and pass through walls.

Shooting on Suicide Squad will commence in Toronto in April, with David Ayer (who directed Gyllenhaal in End of Watch) in the director’s chair and Charles Roven and Richard Suckle producing. Warner Bros. has slated Suicide Squad for an August 5th, 2016 release in both 2D and 3D.

The film follows a ragtag team of incarcerated comic book antagonists who cut a deal with the U.S. government to carry out deadly missions that come with low chances of survival.

In addition to the confirmed cast members, Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Metropolis baddie Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (hitting theaters on March 25th, 2016), is in negotiations to reprise the role in Suicide Squad. Also in the mix is Viola Davis, who is in talks to play Suicide Squad supervisor Amanda Waller. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for further updates.

In Marvel movie news, Sina.com (via Comic Book Movie) reports that while speaking with the press in Beijing, Captain America: Civil War directors Anthony and Joe Russo confirmed that Scarlett Johansson will reprise her role as Black Widow (aka Natasha Romanoff) in the stars-and-stripes sequel. The Russo brothers also stated that Winter Soldier will be in the film, so fans can expect to see Sebastian Stan in the cast as well. Captain America: Civil War will also star Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man), Daniel Brühl, and Chadwick Boseman in his Black Panther debut.

Captain America: Civil War is scheduled to begin production this spring and is set for a May 6th, 2016 release. Brothers Anthony and Joe Russo return to helm the third film off a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (both of whom scribed the first two Captain America movies and Thor: The Dark World).

The third installment in the super soldier franchise will be influenced to some extent by the Civil War comic book mini-series that was released in 2006 – 2007, though Marvel is rebooting the Civil War storyline on the paneled page this summer and the movie could follow that version more closely. In the original version, Iron Man and Captain America take opposite stances on the government’s Superhero Registration Act, leading to confrontations of both the physical and verbal variety amongst Earth’s superheroes.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier: