David Ayer Claims His Own Cut of ‘Suicide Squad’ is “Vastly Better”

Should we believe David Ayer when he says his cut of “Suicide Squad” is miles better than the theatrically released 2016 version? Based on what I saw in the abysmal released version, nothing indicates to me that a good movie is hidden somewhere within that mess of images.

The truth is that, probably, nine times out of ten, a movie that a studio heavily messed with wasn't even that good to begin with. There are always exceptions like “Once Upon A Time in America,” “Brazil” and “Blade Runner,” but they’re pretty rare.

However, 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 recently.

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 more comedy-based interpretation.

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

Chatting with ET about the consensus-filled 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”.

He probably thought then that his movie wouldn’t bomb and, in fact, make lots of money. The opposite occured and 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.”