The director of the original Suicide Squad, David Ayer, has reacted to James Gunn revealing his easier path with Warner Bros. for The Suicide Squad. Ayer directed the 2016 installment of Suicide Squad, which was the third film of Warner Bros.’ DCEU, and despite collecting over $740 million at the box office, the film was widely panned by critics and audiences. Ayer’s Suicide Squad famously suffered from studio interference, with the director even explaining that he made a “heartfelt drama and it got ripped to pieces.” Although it was criticized for its weak narrative and uneven tone, the film did introduce some strong characters like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, who will return for Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.

The Suicide Squad is a soft sequel/reboot, and except for a few characters from Ayer’s film, it will feature new villains like Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), and more obscure villains such as Polka-Dot Man. The latest DC project is seemingly correcting mistakes made in the original, as along with Gunn’s trademark humor, The Suicide Squad will be a rated-R “war movie” that will feature countless deaths. Also, unlike the first film, this DC project is studio interference-free as Gunn's said The Suicide Squad is his vision on more than one occasion. Now, Ayer has responded to Gunn’s latest tweet regarding his easy path with Warner Bros.

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Responding to a tweet that has an article highlighting his and the rest of The Suicide Squad team’s comments about the film’s R-rating and how it offered them freedom, Gunn explained how he said The Suicide Squad would a no-holds-barred R-rated war film in his first meeting with Warner Bros and DC. An idea they agreed with. The smoothness of how he seemingly worked with the studio certainly had an effect on Ayer, who replied to the tweet with a simple, “Dang.” Although Ayer’s comment was not left unanswered, with Gunn responding by thanking Ayer for everything he did to help the new film. Full tweets can be seen below:

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Considering everything Ayer has been through and the arguably unjust criticisms he’s faced for his Suicide Squad film, hearing about the creative freedom Gunn had for his version of the super-villain story must sting. Also, the added fact that Ayer will not be able to release the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad perhaps makes it a little more painful for the director to hear. However, in Gunn’s classy response to Ayer, he does point out how he dealt with a lot of different people at Warner Bros. and that the unfortunate experience Ayer had helped create “the easier path.” Even fans that have been supporting Ayer and his calls to release his cut of the Suicide Squad will likely agree that experience has fortunately helped pave the way to correct past mistakes, which will hopefully result in fans getting a much more thrilling Suicide Squad experience this summer.

The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran, who produced Aquaman and Shazam!, two highly successful outings for DCEU, even shared that The Suicide Squad isn’t restricted by having to force itself into a shared universe. The trailers seem to suggest that Warner Bros. were correct in giving Gunn free rein for the film he envisioned, and stars of the film like Joel Kinnaman have already called it his best film. Time will tell if it lives up to expectations, but fans will certainly be hoping Ayer’s unfortunate experience has indeed paved the way for a great Suicide Squad film.

Next: Why Suicide Squad's Ayer Cut Would Be Good for the DCEU

Source: David Ayer, James Gunn

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