Suicide Squad Director Says James Gunn Will Release His Director’s Cut
2016’s Suicide Squad may finally be getting the long-awaited Ayer Cut. Director David Ayer had his DC Comics film wrestled away from him during the editing process. But now that the DCU is under new management with James Gunn, Ayer says the Superman: Legacy director is interested in releasing his cut of Suicide Squad.
The news of Gunn’s interest in Ayer’s cut was mentioned in an X (Twitter) post from the director. David Ayer was responding to The Nerd Rage Podcast post about his film, attaching a photograph of Suicide Squad’s Joker (Jared Leto). In his response, Ayer brought up how tough it’s been to sit with the film that was in theaters.
David Ayer says James Gunn is interested in releasing the director’s cut of 2016’s Suicide Squad.
He also stressed how his version differed greatly from what Warner Bros released. After expressing dissatisfaction, he wrote, “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release.” Ayer would also bring up how there’s been some hype for his film cut to be released finally.
It’s a level of interest similar to what happened with Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League. Warner Bros. had retooled the 2017 film. This launched a fan campaign in which supporters of Snyder spread the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut.
“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.”
-David Ayer on the future of his cut of Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad’s Ayer Cut has had a similar movement. Fans have been spreading the hashtag #ReleaseTheAyerCut, and David Ayer has spoken openly about his version of the film. Considering that Warner Bros would eventually release Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021, the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad doesn’t sound impossible.
In that same X post, Ayer brought up the response to this cut by James Gunn, the current co-head of upcoming DCU projects. Ayer would write, “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.” This response shows that the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad is not a matter of “if” but “when.”
James Gunn is currently restructuring a new DC Comics cinematic universe, aiming to launch with him directing Superman: Legacy. The franchise seems to need a refurbishment after the studio shelved Batgirl and predictions of Blue Beetle flopping. Gunn has planned a slate of new movies and TV shows to revitalize the DC Comics brand at the theater and streaming.
“All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release.”
-David Ayer director of Suicide Squad
David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad, part of the DCEU, featured a misfit ensemble of villains tasked with saving the world. Under the leadership of Amanda Waller, the group known as Task Force X comprised characters like Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc, and more. While it didn’t impress many critics, it did fair strongly at the box office, garnering $745 million worldwide.
Interestingly, Ayer and Gunn seem to be on good terms as two directors who have worked on the Suicide Squad films. James Gunn’s first DC Comics film was 2021’s The Suicide Squad. The film had a different tone but carried over some of the same characters from Ayer’s cut, notably Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller, and Rick Flag. So Gunn does seem to have some respect for what Ayer had started with his film.
Could all this lead to the Suicide Squad Ayer Cut getting the same release as Zack Snyder’s Justice League? We’ll have to wait and see what Gunn plans to do with the film, as he’s currently looking more towards the future of the DCU rather than polishing the DCEU. Perhaps once the DCU is up and running, it may be time for David Ayer’s Suicide Squad to get a second chance to impress.
The theatrical cut of 2016’s Suicide Squad and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad can currently be streamed on Max.
