Before Suicide Squad started filming, Tom Hardy was expected to anchor the DC adaptation as Rick Flag. Instead, he exited the project in what became one of the more debated casting switches of the decade.
At the time, the move was criticized by those who believed the decision showed a lack of dedication to the planned comic-book ensemble film.
The reason: the production timeline for The Revenant expanded, sending Hardy directly into a schedule collision.
And now, years later, one of the people closest to him has summed up why he made the choice.
Charlotte Riley — Hardy’s wife — put the decision in simple terms:
“Tom is a professional. He chose The Revenant because it was a great artistic opportunity; it got him an Academy Award nomination, proving he made the right choice for his career.”
Production realities, not indifference
The Revenant’s famously demanding shoot, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, saw long location work and extreme natural-light demands. What was supposed to be a conventional production window extended by months.
That pushed directly into the dates DC had reserved for Suicide Squad.
David Ayer and Warner Bros. recast Rick Flag quickly — bringing in Joel Kinnaman — but the optics stuck to Hardy for a while. Studio insiders later confirmed that contracts, not attitude, were the limiting factor.
Career outcome: the nomination
The performance Hardy delivered as John Fitzgerald helped The Revenant become one of the most awarded films of the 2010s Oscars cycle. It earned Hardy his first Academy Award nomination — Supporting Actor — at the 88th Oscars.
It also placed him in a selective group of stars known for shifting between mid-budget art drama and large-format global franchises.
The DC relationship was never severed
Hardy’s work as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises had already cemented his credibility with Warner Bros., and industry observers note that the exit from Suicide Squad did not damage the broader relationship.
Meanwhile, the eventual outcome within DC:
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Joel Kinnaman did take Rick Flag to screen
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the 2016 Suicide Squad received split reactions
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James Gunn’s 2021 refresh earned stronger reviews, with Kinnaman returning
Hardy, meanwhile, continued into high-profile work — including the lead role in Venom — balancing independent craft sensibilities with large-audience tentpole roles.
The professional choice — and the narrative that followed
What looked, in the moment, like a disruptive departure has become one of the cleaner case studies in career triage.
One project demanded more from him — creatively and physically — and that was the choice he made.
If the nomination told the industry anything, it was that the choice was not impulsive.
It was strategic.