The first photos of Will Smith on the set of Suicide Squad were released online Thursday.
Ever since it was announced that he would portray Floyd Lawton (also known as “Deadshot”) on the big-screen, numerous fans and critics have eagerly anticipated the first look at Will Smith in character.
Would he wear an eye patch? Would fans get a glimpse of his iconic targeting device? The answer to both questions is apparently “not yet.”
The first photos of Will Smith dressed in character actually did not look very much like Deadshot at all.
Wearing a cowboy heart and beard, the Oscar-nominated actor actually looked a lot like he did in the 1999 film, Wild Wild West .
Will Smith turned down The Matrix to be in Wild Wild West. pic.twitter.com/3YF2dOGu5y
— HIP HOP FACTS (@OnlyHipHopFacts) April 30, 2015
It did not take very long for the world of social media to detect the resemblance — and then find every single creative way to mock Will Smith for it on the Internet.
Quite a few people stated that it appeared to be a shot from the set of Wild Wild West 2 — a sequel that will likely never get made in real-life with Will Smith reprising his role.
Sooo… Will Smith’s #Deadshot … we not gonna talk about how this looks like a Wild Wild West Sequel? #SuicideSquad — Gravi Sun (@TheScarletRose) April 30, 2015
Why is everyone posting old set photos of Will Smith in Wild Wild West? It’s from what?! Oh dear God… #SuicideSquad
— Dave Flynn (@Dave_K_Flynn) April 30, 2015
Yes, DC, the best thing you could do with Will Smith as Deadshot is evoke memories of the cinematic tour de force that was “Wild Wild West”. — Bizarro Stan Lee (@BizarroStanLee) April 30, 2015
Others just made fun of the fact that Will Smith was apparently reprising his Wild Wild West role nearly 18 years later for Suicide Squad .
Looks like Will Smith is reprising his Wild Wild West role for Suicide Squad. pic.twitter.com/fTlZrcTzwz
— Stefan Bonomo (@gamesEnlisted) April 30, 2015
will smith reprises his role from wild wild west — ??? (@brutewyvern) April 30, 2015
Can’t tell if Will Smith is doing Suicide Squad or a sequel to Wild Wild West pic.twitter.com/hC6p0x6ack
— Tim Baysinger (@tim_bays) April 30, 2015
One person even said that Will Smith’s version of Deadshot in the picture looked like a combination of his character from Wild Wild West and Denzel Washington’s character from the 2001 film, Training Day .
Welp first look as Will Smith as Deadshot looks between a mix of Denzel’s Training Day & Will’s Wild Wild West pic.twitter.com/65J1l4pC4L — Jesse (@GQleo) April 30, 2015
Will Smith is not the first Suicide Squad cast member to make headlines with his character’s look. Oscar winner Jared Leto seemed to keep the headlines coming this month with the different aspects of his character’s look that have been revealed progressively.
His green hair allowed fans to rest assured in knowing that The Joker’s trademark hair color would not be changed.
Jared Leto slicked back his green hair for a bike ride in Toronto yesterday! See pics: http://t.co/JSkzBmedn8 pic.twitter.com/xW3x9Non0s
— JustJared.com (@JustJared) April 27, 2015
His tattooed torso and demented facial expression were captured in a photo released by Suicide Squad director David Ayer, making headlines almost immediately after it was shared on Twitter.
Jared Leto’s Joker Is Both Problematic and Interesting. http://t.co/Tuq1fNM9KR pic.twitter.com/f7RLpRWLjX
— ComicsAlliance (@comicsalliance) April 30, 2015
He also showed that The Joker will likely be a lot more muscular in Suicide Squad than he has been in past movies by posting a picture of his own swollen torso on his official Instagram page.
Wow @jaredleto is looking in the best shape of his life! #gains #fitness #muscle #jaredleto https://t.co/ccZswMwhJA
— D.HEDRAL (@dhedral) April 29, 2015
Do you think that Will Smith’s Deadshot character is going to be revealed in the same type of progressive stages? Or, will fans and critics be stuck with the Wild Wild West imagery until the first official trailer is released?
[Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images]