Shia LaBeouf was nearly cast in Suicide Squad until Warner Bros. said no.
Shia LaBeouf did an amazing interview with Variety to promote the release of his new movie American Honey, a low-budget indie movie where LaBeouf got twelve tattoos, two of which were the same portrait of Missy Elliot. But, probably the most interesting part of the interview was that LaBeouf almost re-teamed with Fury director David Ayer for Suicide Squad:
LaBeouf […] admits that he’s no longer on Hollywood’s wish list for major blockbusters. After Fury in 2014, director David Ayer approached him for Suicide Squad, for a role that eventually went to Scott Eastwood. “The character was different initially,” LaBeouf says. “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.” LaBeouf says the studio vetoed his casting. “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.”
It seems like Shia LaBeouf would have been perfect for the feature film especially for his history of outrageous antics, which would have played well for the Suicide Squad marketing team.
![[Video] Shia LaBeouf’s #IAmSorry Performance Art is Weird, Awkward and Sad](https://res.cloudinary.com/project-casting/image/upload/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/video-shia-labeoufs-iamsorry-per.jpg)
Seriously, do you remember when Shia LaBeouf attended the 2014 Berlin Film Festival with a paper bag over his head that said “I am not famous anymore”?
Since 2014, LaBeouf has been working hard on his performance art. In fact, he live-streamed himself watching all of his movies for three days and hung out in an elevator for 24 hours and then went hitchhiking. Not to mention the fact he cut up his face while method acting for Fury, leaving permanent scars on his cheek.
When you think about it, Shia LaBeouf could have probably done a better job than Jared Leto as The Joker. Maybe, Warner Bros. will reboot the movie franchise with LaBeouf, especially considering Leto reportedly said he was “tricked” into playing the Joker.
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