Director David Ayer got candid again about his cut of Suicide Squad despite saying a while ago he was done talking about it. However, the conversation never ended and neither did the hand-wringing by fans hoping to see the fabled Ayer Cut receive its due the same way Zack Snyder’s Justice League did. On that front, there is an update.
Ayer broke his silence thanks to a snide comment and, by doing so, indicated his cut of Suicide Squad will have its day because DC Studios head James Gunn sounds like he is looking into it. He had a conversation with the Training Day filmmaker, says Ayer, in which Gunn told him the Ayer Cut “would have its time to be shared.”
When? No one knows, but Ayer defends the effort he put in, to this day. He declares in his new X post that his version “plays much better than the studio release,” which was infamously trimmed down by an editing team that specializes in trailers. Ayer recapitulated this in response to remarks by The Nerd Rage Podcast.
Twitter account One Take News reshared a “new” photo of Jared Leto as The Joker wearing a tuxedo. However, it was pointed out by The Nerd Rage Podcast the image was initially released in 2016 when Suicide Squad came out. “Not to call out David by saying this, but you do know this was released back in 2016, right?” they wrote.
Not to call out David by saying this, but you do know this was released back in 2016, right? pic.twitter.com/KJhFv503bo
— The Nerd Rage Podcast (@TheNerdRagePod) August 6, 2023
Taking that as a challenge, Ayer didn’t hold back.
“What’s your advice on how to navigate this situation with grace? There’s a genuine curiosity and interest from a lot of people,” Ayer fired back. “And I’m aware [that] there is another group of people that have fun mocking the film. Your comment is a perfect example of how many are magnetically drawn…to the 2016 film in a negative way.”
“Have you ever had an experience in life that didn’t [go] the way you wanted, that dragged you, that made you rethink everything?” Ayer continued. “I have.”
He would add, “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release.” Again, this is a view he has maintained all these years along with how different his version is.
“The interest in my cut being [shown] seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have [its] time to be shared,” Ayer said, followed by a very big caveat, which is his support for the DCU to come. “He absolutely deserves to launch to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects.”
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There is always the possibility of the Elseworlds for Ayer’s cut of Suicide Squad. And frankly, that is already the case as Gunn and Warner Bros. softly rebooted the Task Force in 2021. Gunn’s film received some good reviews and much of it is liable to stay canon by the time Superman: Legacy, Waller, and Peacemaker Season 2 premiere.
Still, Ayer’s unrealized DC legacy might never go away. “In a way I’m chained to this thing. I’m riding a tiger here and navigating this situation the best I can. Life is a very strange journey,” he said. Ayer then closed his ersatz essay walk down memory lane with “Welcome to my Ted talk.” Some are hoping for more plus his movie
Ayer also posted behind-the-scenes images a day before his lengthier post, including the above picture of some Harley Quinn prop bats. They are the perfect thing to close on, but rest assured, we have in no way, shape, or form heard the last of David Ayer or his Suicide Squad. Not until it is released in full (Gunn willing).