‘The Revenant’ problems forced Tom Hardy to miss out on a box office smash
Tom Hardy, known for his versatile roles and chameleonic on-screen transformations, found himself at a crossroads in 2015 when the opportunity to be a part of the DC Universe knocked at his door. With a repertoire boasting critically acclaimed performances in films like Lawless, The Drop, Warrior, and Inception, Hardy’s addition to the star-studded cast of the upcoming and hotly anticipated Suicide Squad seemed like an exciting prospect for both the studio and fans alike.
David Ayer and Warner Bros, the team behind Suicide Squad, had hoped to have Hardy for the role of Rick Flagg – one of the film’s most significant characters. The actor’s inclusion would have undoubtedly bolstered the character and given him three dimensions, which unfortunately can’t be said for the final product. Moreover, sharing screen space with established actors such as Will Smith and Margot Robbie could have added another feather to Hardy’s impressive cap.
Despite being a seemingly perfect fit for the role of Rick Flagg in Suicide Squad, Hardy was ultimately forced to let the opportunity slide – and the film went on to gross a whopping $747million, of which the principal cast would have undoubtedly enjoyed some of. At the time, Hardy was already engaged in another project – one that proved to be an unforeseen challenge in terms of logistics and duration. The film in question was Alejandro González Iñárritu’s epic survival drama, The Revenant.
Hardy explained his decision, or lack of, telling Collider, “There’s a very practical element as to why I’ve missed out on that foray [Suicide Squad], which is because Alejandro has overshot by three months in Calgary, so we’ve got to go back out to Patagonia or Alaska to continue shooting The Revenant which has turned into a much bigger beast than we thought.” Despite being understandably miffed about the delay in production, Hardy nevertheless acknowledged that the film “looks exceptional”.
In hindsight, it’s somewhat fortunate that Hardy couldn’t be a part of Suicide Squad; his choice to stick with The Revenant proved infinitely more fruitful. The actor’s riveting portrayal not only saw him rub shoulders with Leonardo DiCaprio (objectively the biggest star in Hollywood) but also earned him an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’. The role of Rick Flagg, which could have been Hardy’s, went to Joel Kinnaman, and despite its box-office success, the film was widely panned and even bad-mouthed by the director himself.
Nevertheless, Hardy’s tryst with comic book adaptations was not over. Undeterred, he made an entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the 2018 release of Venom. Despite that film’s poor critical reception as well, by playing the eponymous character, Hardy found a new avenue to connect with the comic book fans he seemed so keen to engage with.
The film was financially successful and saw the creation of a Venom franchise, with the sequel Let There Be Carnage debuting in 2021. Hardy is slated to reprise his role in the third instalment in 2024. Looking back, it’s safe to say that Hardy’s decision to stick with The Revenant didn’t hinder his soaring trajectory in the world of comic book films. It might have cost him a portion of financial success, but it earned him an Academy Award nomination and a credit on one of the most compelling action films of the last decade.
