Will Smith’s new look sparks speculation of a DCEU return

If there’s one way for a fallen A-list megastar to get themselves back in the good graces of their fanbase, then returning to a blockbuster franchise that’s guaranteed to make a ton of money and put plenty of butts in seats is arguably the safest way to do it, with Will Smith‘s bald and bearded look sparking scuttlebutt that he could be lined up for a DCEU return.

Fans on Reddit have been musing over the Academy Award winner’s freshly-shaven head that he’s been sporting for a few weeks, largely because it’s not a look he’s taken to wearing in public all that often. Naturally, the cogs of speculation have already begun turning, and it’s hard to argue that a big budget comic book project would be one way for the actor to make his way back into the good graces of the public.

Bad Boys 4 is also in the works (even if development hall stalled somewhat), so we could be looking at Smith sticking to summer tentpole productions for the next little while, as he tries to rehabilitate his reputation in the wake of the slap heard around the world. Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav wants to rebuild the DCEU into a force capable of finally rivaling the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and bringing the former Fresh Prince back into the fold would definitely be one way to do it.

We’re speaking entirely hypothetically of course, but that doesn’t mean it can be discounted. After all, star power still shifts tickets, and Smith has yet to formally announce his resignation as the franchise’s Deadshot. In fact, he’s been open in admitting he’d return if the story was enough to pull him back in, and having one of the modern era’s biggest names making a one-and-done appearance in a critically-panned flick like Suicide Squad is hardly the way for his contributions to the genre to be remembered.