Despite its impressive box office performance, Suicide Squad failed to garner critical acclaim, landing it a spot amongst the lesser-appreciated films in the DC Extended Universe. Its director, David Ayer, had envisioned something entirely different for the film, but a series of changes made by Warner Bros. led to a final version that deviated sharply from his original concept.
In a candid conversation on Jon Bernthal’s Real Ones podcast, David Ayer delved deeper into the challenges he faced while bringing the Suicide Squad to life. Bernthal, notable for his role as The Punisher and Ayer’s collaborator in Fury, sought insights into Ayer’s most daunting Hollywood moments.
“Hollywood, I tell people, is like watching someone you love get f—ed by someone you hate,” Ayer told Bernthal. “The big one is Suicide Squad. That shit broke me. That handed me my ass.”
“Come right off Fury, right? I had the town in my hand, could’ve done anything, and I did do anything. And go on this journey. And the same thing — authentic, truthful, let’s do all the rehearsal, let’s really get in each other’s souls. Let’s create this amazing, collaborative thing, right? And then Deadpool opened, and they never tested Batman v Superman, so they were expecting a different result and then they got hammered by all the critics. Then it’s like, ‘Okay, we’re going to turn David Ayer’s dark, soulful movie into a f—ing comedy now.’”
Is A David Ayer cut of Suicide Squad coming?
David Ayer’s journey with Suicide Squad has been a topic of discussion for a while now, primarily due to the perceived chasm between his original intentions and the end product that hit theaters. Through various interactions, Ayer has voiced his disappointment and frustrations regarding the radical shifts in the movie’s narrative and tone, influenced by studio decisions.
It’s currently unknown when or if the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad will be released. If it does, it will likely be categorized under the “Elseworlds” banner of films, which includes any projects not canon to the main DC Universe being constructed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Current projects in this category include Joker: Folie à Deux and The Batman: Part II.
James Gunn and Peter Safran told journalists that their vision for the DC Universe includes locked scripts, wiggle room and a unified storyline across film, television, animation and video game projects. The two explained that the DC Universe could bring back elements from previous DC regimes, meaning that their eight-to-year plan is not a full reboot.
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