LOL: David Ayer Continues Push For His ‘Suicide Squad' Director's Cut

Back in January, director David Ayer had all but given up on his director’s cut of “Suicide Squad” ever getting released (“I’m done with DC.”) We thought this was the end of Ayer’s relentless push to get his original vision of the film released.

Then, a few months later, Ayer was back pushing for his director’s cut to see the light of day. He even created a poster for it.. Ayer added that letting go of his ‘Suicide Squad’ was “harder than quitting smoking.”

Here he comes again. Ayer has now gone on X for another vent session. When one follower pushed back and told him, “If your film was good in the first place you wouldn’t need to have your own cut of the film,” Ayer couldn’t help but reply:

The best version simply has not been seen. I know how difficult it is for someone outside the industry to comprehend how insanely different to cuts a film can be. If you dislike what you’ve seen, here’s an opportunity to see what I actually intended and then judge once you have all the information.

So will we ever actually see The Ayer cut of Suicide Squad? Ayer isn’t all that certain. In fact, he’s saying it’s all up to DCU Co-CEO James Gunn:

Honestly I have no idea if WB would ever release my version. And I have to defer to James [Gunn] and the studio to manage it as they see fit. It’s not something I control. I just believe it would be a lot of fun for those who want to see it, to see my cut.

Why does Ayer believe his Director’s Cut is better than the theatrical version? He claims that, after ‘Batman vs Superman’ underperformed at the box office, Warner Bros feared releasing another serious and dark superhero drama. This led the studio to interfere with his original vision and edit their own cut of “Suicide Squad,” focusing on the comedy instead of its darker undertones. Apparently, there’s hours of unused footage.

After eight years of painstaking attempts to get this thing released, Ayer will continue on with his crusade. If you remember, he had tweeted that his director’s cut “will change the course of history.” Hilarious. Ayer had also previously stated that the butchering of his original cut was “like watching someone you love get fucked by someone you hate”.

To further add to the hyperbole, Ayer told THR that his version of ‘Suicide Squad’ will be seen as an all-timer, if it ever gets released:

The thing that’s been difficult for me is that I made a great film. I made a great film. The people who have seen my cut have pretty much unanimously said that it’s one of the best comic book movies ever made. If someone who’s seen the cut wants to dispute that, then they can come talk to me.

A few months ago, Ayer vented that James Gunn and Warner Bros were ghosting him: “It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill.”

Should we believe him? Is it actually a better version? Purely based on the theatrical cut, nothing would indicate to me that a good movie is hidden somewhere inside that mess of overstylized visual debauchery.