When he’s not the source of hilarious internet memes used for the purposes of motivating others, actor Shia LaBeouf has been making a career starring in smaller and more independent productions such as American Honey and Nymphomaniac. The actor had previously starred in many bigger budget productions, not the least of which being the first three of Michael Bay’s Transformers films and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Whether or not LaBeouf will ever return to films that big is up in the air, but the actor did reveal he had the opportunity to once again star in a big budget film. More specifically, this year’s Suicide Squad.
Speaking with Variety, LaBeouf stated that director David Ayer had approached him to play the role Lieutenant GQ Edwards, a NAVY Seal who is part of the squad’s mission that takes up the majority of the film. According to LaBeouf, the reason he didn’t end up playing the role was that the folks at Warner Bros. didn’t want him. The actor stated:
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.”
Why Warner Bros. didn’t want LaBeouf in the role, if that is the case, is anyone’s guess. LaBeouf isn’t the only “What Could Have Been” actor for Suicide Squad. Actor Tom Hardy was in talks to play the role of Colonel Rick Flag, but had to leave due to scheduling conflicts. As far as the character is GQ was concerned, the role went to actor Scott Eastwood.
Whether it was a good thing that LaBeouf didn’t end up with the role is hard to say. While Suicide Squad didn’t do so well with critics, earning a measly 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, audience reactions of proven to be more positive with a 67% approval rating on the same site. Regardless, the idea of LaBeouf’s casting is an interesting thing to think about regardless. What could have been, indeed.
Source: Variety