David Ayer Rants About His Director’s Cut of ‘Suicide Squad’

Should we believe David Ayer when he says that his cut of 2016’s “Suicide Squad” is “vastly better” than the theatrically released version? Purely based on the theatrical cut, nothing would indicate to me that a good movie is hidden somewhere inside that mess of visual debauchery.

The truth is that nine times out of ten, a movie that a studio heavily interferes with is probably not that good to begin with. Of course, there are always exceptions like “Once Upon A Time in America,” “Brazil” and “Blade Runner,” but they’re far and few.

With that being said, the #ReleaseTheAyerCut movement is real. There are actual people out there who want to see it, especially after Ayer claimed his own cut was "ripped to pieces" by Warner Bros. And, know what? They’ll probably get it at some point. Ayer has definitely been hinting at it more and more.

In a recent post on Twitter, Ayer says the studio interference on “Suicide Squad” forever changed him. He also claims that there’s proof that his version of the film plays much better with fans. He desperately wants it out.

Here is Ayer responding to a fan who insulted “Suicide Squad” on Twitter, you can clearly tell Ayer is absolutely pissed off and wants to be vindicated by the directors cut that he has:

What’s your advice on how to navigate this situation with grace? There’s a genuine curiosity and interest from a lot of people. And I’m aware of there is another group of people that have fun mocking the film. Your comment is a perfect example of how many are magnetically drawn discussion to the 2016 film in a negative way. Have you ever had an experience in life that didn’t [end up] the way you wanted, that dragged you, that made you rethink everything? I have. All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it’s time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects.

The hidden lede in the above rant is that we’re likely going to get his version sometime soon, especially since, he claims, James Gunn told him so. Good for him. He probably needs this to happen as a sort of therapeutic closure.

So, what exactly happened during post-production of the much maligned critical and commercially bombed “Suicide Squad”?

Ayer had previously stated that DC management chose to edit the film around the way the trailers presented the story, stripping his vision in the process and turning the film into a comedy-based interpretation.

Reshoots written by Geoff Johns happened in 2016 following Warner's desire to compromise the tested cuts and make a more light-hearted film; it was reported the reshoots cost around $22 million.

A few years ago, chatting with EW about the negative reviews for “Suicide Squad,” Ayer didn’t hold back and revealed that he was definitely shaken by the reaction: “It was shit,” said Ayer. “Yeah, it was shit reviews. I got my throat cut. It was a super polarizing movie. Incredibly polarizing. 

Back in 2016, Ayer had also claimed, that “this cut of the movie is my cut, there’s no sort of parallel universe version of the movie, the released movie is my cut”. Was he told by the studio to say that?

He probably thought then that his movie wouldn’t be a success and make lots of money. The opposite occurred and in the process he completely disowned it. Ayer would eventually admit that his “soulful drama” was “beaten into a comedy” in the editing room.

The curious case of Ayer‘s filmmaking career is one that fascinates and frustrates. Initially known for his hit screenplays (he wrote “Training Day,” and “The Fast and the Furious” among many others), the 49-year-old director quickly managed to make a mark as a director with the gritty “Harsh Times,” “End of Watch” and “Fury.”

Ever since then, his career has taken a turn for the worst with the critical drubbings of “Suicide Squad,” “Bright,” “Sabotage” and “The Tax Collector.”