--- description: Tom Hardy drops out of 'Suicide Squad' and the director's replacement choice could be Jake Gyllenhaal title: Tom Hardy Drops Out of 'Suicide Squad' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9cd25cb546630bd/69877a510b72e3b70b6dd2a9/tom-hardy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Tom Hardy Drops Out of _Suicide Squad_  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jan 16, 2015 1:44 AM CUT  Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy attend the US Premiere of 'Grand Street' during the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film on Jan. 8, 2015 at The Regal Theater in Palm Springs, California. Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy attend the US Premiere of 'Grand Street' during the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film on Jan. 8, 2015 at The Regal Theater in Palm Springs, California.Amy Graves—Getty Images for for PSIFF  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jan 16, 2015 1:44 AM CUT The all-star _Suicide Squad_ cast just [lost](http://www.thewrap.com/jake-gyllenhaal-eyed-to-replace-tom-hardy-in-david-ayers-suicide-squad-exclusive/ "undefined") one of its brightest. Tom Hardy dropped out Thursday, leaving the DC Comics movie adaptation without a Rick Flagg. The Warner Bros. summer tentpole directed by David Ayer (_Fury_, _Training Day_) follows classic DC villains who are forced to become heroes. Will Smith, Margot Robie and Jared Leto are starring as Batman villains Deadshot, Harley Quinn and the Joker, respectively. Ayer’s first pick for Hardy’s replacement is Jake Gyllenhaal, [according to](http://www.thewrap.com/jake-gyllenhaal-eyed-to-replace-tom-hardy-in-david-ayers-suicide-squad-exclusive/ "undefined") The Wrap. Hardy’s rep said the actor was leaving the film due to a tight schedule. The _Dark Knight Rises_ star is currently shooting Oscar nominee and _Birdman_ director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s next film, a Western with Leonardo DiCaprio called _The Revenant_, which is running over schedule. Hardy is also committed to a press tour for this summer’s _Mad Max: Fury Road_. _Suicide Squad_ is set to hit theaters Aug. 5, 2016. \[[_The Wrap_](http://www.thewrap.com/jake-gyllenhaal-eyed-to-replace-tom-hardy-in-david-ayers-suicide-squad-exclusive/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3670925/tom-hardy-drops-out-of-suicide-squad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3670925/tom-hardy-drops-out-of-suicide-squad/"},"headline":"Tom Hardy Drops Out of Suicide Squad","datePublished":"2015-01-16T01:44:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:37:58.130Z","description":"Rep says the actor was leaving the film due to a tight schedule","url":"https://time.com/3670925/tom-hardy-drops-out-of-suicide-squad/","keywords":["movies","Tom Hardy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9cd25cb546630bd/69877a510b72e3b70b6dd2a9/tom-hardy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9cd25cb546630bd/69877a510b72e3b70b6dd2a9/tom-hardy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy attend the US Premiere of 'Grand Street' during the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film on Jan. 8, 2015 at The Regal Theater in Palm Springs, California.","caption":"Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy attend the US Premiere of 'Grand Street' during the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film on Jan. 8, 2015 at The Regal Theater in Palm Springs, California.","creditText":"Amy Graves—Getty Images for for PSIFF","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3670925/tom-hardy-drops-out-of-suicide-squad/","name":"Tom Hardy Drops Out of Suicide Squad"}}]}] ```