Update 1/22/15: As it turns out, Jake Gyllenhaal has passed on the role of Rick Flag in Suicide Squad, which was indeed offered to him after Tom Hardy had to back out. The reason going around is that the start date would be cutting things too close for his other projects.
Previously:
Last month Warner Bros. and DC Comics' Suicide Squad sent many fans' tongues wagging with the announcement that its villains-turned-heroes cast would be Jared Leto as the Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Cara Delevinge as Enchantress, Will Smith as Deadshot and Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg. Unfortunately now we have to cross that last name off the list.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hardy -- who also played the DC character Bane in The Dark Knight Rises -- has dropped out of the production due to scheduling conflicts. There is a saving grace to this story, though. The Wrap is also reporting that Jake Gyllenhaal is David Ayer's choice to replace Hardy. The two last worked together on End of Watch, so they've got an existing relationship, though Gyllenhaal seems to be taking a break from the big blockbusters (his last was 2010's Prince of Persia), so we'll have to see if he decides to do it.
And if you're worried about Gyllenhaal still being in skinny Nightcrawler mode, which wouldn't make sense for the physically imposing lead of a team of supervillains, don't. He's already buffed up for the role of a boxer in Antoine Fuqua's upcoming Southpaw (see image below), so he can definitely handle the physical side of things.
