One of the editors on David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad has recently opened up about his experience working on the film, and the differences Warner Bros. made to Ayer’s original vision. Intended as the third entry in the burgeoning DC Extended Universe, Ayer, who was previously known for gritty cop-dramas such as 2001’s Training Day, was signed on as the project’s writer/director in late 2014. Given the firm release deadline set by the studio, Ayer was only provided with six weeks to write the film’s screenplay before the troubled Suicide Squad production got underway.
While principal photography on Ayer’s film wrapped in 2015, the cast was recalled for extensive reshoots in 2016 following the release of Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. While Ayer’s original vision for Suicide Squad is reported as being far more serious in tone, the director himself has taken to social media several times over the years to claim that his version was given “the Edward Scissorhands treatment” by the studio as they sought to inject it with a more humor. Despite featuring an enormously talented cast and launching Margot Robbie into superstardom as the fan-favorite DC villain Harley Quinn, the film was panned by critics for its convoluted plot and mismatched editorial decisions.
Now film editor Kevin Hickman, who has also worked on films such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has spoken to CinemaBlend about his work on 2016’s Suicide Squad. Describing the process involved as “grueling”, Hickman explains that “over a million feet of film" were shot by Ayer and that it was a huge task to assemble each character’s backstory with such a large ensemble cast. When asked his thoughts on recent calls to have Ayer’s version of the film released, Hickman said:
I would like to see David's final version of the film. I saw what David was trying to do with the film and I thought it was a pretty bold film. It was less comedy. It was a much darker film. It was almost like a Black Hawk Down type thing. It was just very militarized, very serious. I mean, of course there were supposed to be comedic moments with Will Smith, but it was a darker film. I like where David was going with it and it would be really nice to see him be able to finish what he started.
Studio interference in the DCEU seems to have been a common theme throughout Warner Bros.’s earliest attempts to mimic the enormous success of the rival MCU. Most recently the long-running Snyder Cut campaign finally achieved its 4-year goal of releasing Zack Snyder’s original plans for Justice League, with this year’s HBO Max debut of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Yet while that decision marked an important triumph for DCEU fans, similar calls from fans to Release the Ayer Cut do not seem to be fielding any of the same levels of enthusiasm from the studio.
One of the key reasons Warner Bros. seems unlikely to announce anything regarding a rerelease of Ayer’s movie in the near future is their current plans for James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot due out this August. While this may be disappointing for those hoping to see Ayer's Suicide Squad, at least WB seems to have learned their lesson concerning interfering in the creative processes of their directors. James Gunn said he had full creative freedom on The Suicide Squad. Perhaps once Gunn’s movie hits theaters, WB may begin to reconsider allowing Ayer to return and finish off his original plans.
Source: CinemaBlend
