Tom Hardy has dropped out of comic book movie, Suicide Squad.

The Dark Knight Rises star had been cast in the role of the group’s leader Rick Flagg, but has decided to exit the film due to scheduling conflicts with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s drama The Revenant.

Jake Gyllenhaal
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

The studio has now approached Jake Gyllenhaal to take over the part, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Suicide Squad, Warner Bros’ big-screen adaptation based on DC Entertainment’s villains, already boasts an all-star cast including Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as the Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.

(Jordan Strauss/Invision)
(Jordan Strauss/Invision)

The film, to be directed by David Ayer, is expected to start shooting in mid-April in Toronto.

Tom’s Revenant shoot, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, looks like it’ll go on longer than initially planned. He is also expected to have press commitments for Mad Max: Fury Road, which opens in UK cinemas on May 15.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson
Jake and Ruth star in Constellations (Greg Allen/Invision/AP)

However, it is not known if Jake will say yes to the Suicide Squad role, which would reunite him with his End Of Watch director David, because he is currently starring in the Broadway play Constellations with Ruth Wilson. The production runs until mid-March.

Suicide Squad is scheduled for release in August 2016.