It's possible that David Ayer is finally acknowledging the fact that the version of Suicide Squad that released in theaters is vastly different than the one he originally cut together. Shortly after officially launching their unofficially titled DC Extended Universe in early 2016 with Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. Pictures ultimately decided to immediately expand their burgeoning franchise with Ayer's Suicide Squad later that summer, giving audiences their first big screen adaptation of DC's Task Force X.
Leading up to the film's release, though, there were reports of significant reshoots being used to lighten up the characters, the story, and the overall mood, thus attempting to convert the movie's overall tone to be akin to the lightheartedness shown in the trailers. But doing all that fundamentally altered the crux of the film, which was even further modified when the film was given multiple edits. That resulted in a haphazard final cut that ended up earning overwhelmingly negative reviews when it hit theaters. However, it seems that Ayer is finally admitting that the theatrical version isn't the cut that he originally put together.
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In a new tweet, David Ayer acknowledged the fact that Harley Quinn's story arc was simplified in Suicide Squad and that Diablo's sacrifice for the team, despite knowing them for only one day, was more in character than if Harley had done the same thing. But what's even more interesting is that Ayer appears to acknowledge the final cut wasn't his version, despite saying so multiple times over the past two years. Take a look:
While it has been heavily reported that the theatrical version of Suicide Squad was different compared to Ayer's original cut, this appears to be the first time that the filmmaker is actually acknowledging it, though he does refrain from referring to it explicitly as his cut. Aside from the fact that the two versions were drastically different, the key point is that the content was also fundamentally changed, of which most scenes that were cut ended up revolving around Jared Leto's Joker. Earlier this year, Ayer revealed yet another deleted scene involving the Joker.
Even though Suicide Squad was a critical disaster and apparently not the movie that Ayer had originally envisioned, it was still an enormous commercial success. And that success, as well as the positive reception to Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, is part of the driving factor for Gavin O'Connor's Suicide Squad 2, which recently had its script turned in to WB. But before the sequel goes into production, the studio is looking to get one of their spinoff projects rolling first. Regardless of when Suicide Squad 2 releases, it seems they're taking their time to get this movie right.
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Source: David Ayer
