Shia LaBeouf's "performance art" may rub some folks the wrong way but at his core, I believe he's a fairly decent actor. After spending time in the realm of big-budget productions like TRANSFORMERS and INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, LaBeouf told Variety that he had sworn off such blockbuster's in the future; however, after appearing in David Ayer's FURY, LaBeouf said that the director tried to convince him to make an appearance in SUICIDE SQUAD.
The character was different initially, then Will [Smith] came in, and the script changed a bit. That character and Tom [Hardy’s] character [later played by Joel Kinnaman] got written down to build Will up.
The role which David Ayer was attempting to convince Shia LaBeouf to play was the character who wound up being portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the finished film, but despite Ayer wanting LaBeouf involved, Warner Bros. wasn't so keen on casting him.
I don’t think Warner Bros. wanted me. I went in to meet, and they were like, ‘Nah, you’re crazy. You’re a good actor, but not this one.’ It was a big investment for them.
LaBeouf wasn't all that broken up that he didn't land the part and despite swearing off blockbusters, Ayer believes that LaBeouf will return to the land of big-budget action before too long. "My advice to him was – you got to have a healthy career diet,” said Ayer. “You do the big movies and then you go and down some for yourself. I think he’ll absolutely be back in the blockbuster business. He has a track record there.” As for Shia LaBeouf's future, he'll next be appearing in AMERICAN HONEY, a new film from Andrea Arnold which will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.