David Ayer's original cut of Suicide Squad would be perfect for WarnerMedia's streaming service, HBO Max. While DC fans have been championing for the Justice League's Snyder Cut for some time now, the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad might be more likely to happen. The film had a lot of promise, so DC fans were disappointed when it was maligned upon release. Much like Justice league, however, there seems to be an alternate version of Suicide Squad that exists somewhere - and HBO Max is the ideal platform for it.
Before the Snyder Cut was even a thing, Ayer had spoken out on how Warner Bros. meddled with Suicide Squad. After Batman v Superman was met with a lackluster reception, the studio had doubts over the darker tone the filmmaker was striving for with his team-up movie. This forced the film to change drastically at such short notice and the result was a mess - though Suicide Squad did admittedly get a few things right. An extended cut was released on Blu-Ray but it was still far from Ayer's true version.
Since then, the filmmaker has used Twitter to divulge details about his original vision - much like Zack Synder has done for Justice League. Though, there doesn't seem to be as much support for an Ayer Cut. But with HBO Max set to launch, there's an argument to be made that now is as good a time as any for the film to finally debut as it was meant to in 2016.
HBO Max Needs Original Content to Compete
HBO Max will be opening in an already crowded market. The streaming wars are more heated than ever, especially with Disney+ proving to be a success. Disney+ has a great incentive for audiences: original Star Wars and Marvel content. The Mandalorian has been a big hit for the studio and the promise of MCU series like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision show that they're really trying to push ahead in terms of original content that audiences can't get anywhere else. Netflix and Amazon Prime also offer a host of original content; the former, especially, is at the forefront in that regard, with beloved films and shows like The Irishman and Stranger Things.
HBO Max already has a lot of ground to make up. While the service will have a lot of films and TV shows available at launch, thanks to WarnerMedia's extensive catalog of work, it's lacking in terms of originality. Love Life, starring Anna Kendrick, and a Friends reunion special are intriguing projects but they can't compete with the shows Netflix has already established or the likes of Disney's upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off. The Friends reunion is no longer available at launch either, since it's been delayed by the coronavirus. Warner is working on a host of new DC shows for HBO Max, such as Green Lantern, but these won't be available for some time. The original content HBO Max is starting with is a let-down that doesn't put the platform in good stead to debut on May 27th. Even Apple TV+ had a more diverse set of titles available when it premiered in November 2019.
The Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad would new, exclusive, and something that fans would flock to HBO Max for. They need captivating content sooner than later; considering the trailers for Suicide Squad promised a completely different film from the one that fans received, there would be a lot of curiosity to see what Ayer's true vision looked like. The DCEU has an established fanbase and it's something like this that would help HBO Max compete against other streaming titans.
Coronavirus is Preventing New Content From Being Made
HBO Max's launch is occurring during the coronavirus pandemic, which currently has most of the world housebound. While HBO Max's international launch is more precarious, there are still millions of Americans turning to streaming services to keep them entertained. This works in the service's favor as audiences have the time and curiosity at the moment to give the new platform a chance, but COVID-19 also has a major con for HBO Max too: it's preventing new content from being made.
Hollywood is at a standstill. Not only have countless films had to delay their release dates, but the outbreak has shut down a lot of film and TV productions too. This hampers WarnerMedia's opportunity to get new content made for HBO Max. This affects the service drastically as it's keeping their new, original content on hold under further notice. Warner Bros. and HBO Max announced Warner Max, a new label for producing original films for the streaming service, but the current crisis is putting any plans the studio has in a state of disarray indefinitely. While coronavirus is impacting every studio, Netflix and Disney+ included, it's worse for HBO Max as they're going to have a tougher time enticing audiences with their lackluster launch titles. They need new content as soon as possible to keep up with the other streaming services that have been able to build their libraries already.
Universal's Trolls: World Tour is doing impressively on VOD because audiences want whatever new release they can get their hands on. With so few films coming out in 2020 now, every contemporary release is welcome. Chris Hemsworth's Extraction is Netflix's biggest film to date. Since most theaters are closed, people are turning to streaming sites for their entertainment. Considering there's a hiatus with HBO Max's original content, they need to look to alternative options to bring audiences new content. Suicide Squad isn't a new movie, but the Ayer Cut would effectively make it into one, giving HBO Max what could serve as a big new release when it's needed the most.
The Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad is Already Done
David Ayer has talked at length about the Suicide Squad he wanted to make, and it sounds completely different from the one that fans got. The key difference is in the treatment of Jared Leto's Joker. While Suicide Squad's Clown Prince of Crime wasn't well-received, with Warner Bros. rebooting the character again in Todd Phillips' Joker, Ayer has revealed that most of Leto's work hasn't been seen. The film was marketed to feature a lot of Joker, but his screentime was reduced massively in the final cut of the movie, with Ayer claiming there are hours of unused footage.
The released version of Suicide Squad also cut Harley Quinn's arc. Once again, the marketing for the film showed the two were fairly interlinked, but they're mostly separate in Suicide Squad, so it's likely Quinn and Joker would have had a lot more to do with each other in Ayer's original story. There were also ties to Justice League in his version, as Enchantress was initially under the control of a Mother Box. But Suicide Squad suffered as a result of studio interference. Ayer has previously mentioned that his cut of the film was finished, and even shown in its entirety, but execs wanted to change the tone so the film was altered. He also divulged that his cut had less pop and more of the Squad's dysfunctional family dynamic (via Twitter).
While the Snyder Cut of Justice League is almost ready, it seems as though the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad is done. On Twitter, Ayer revealed: "The copyright holder controls it. The media isn’t in releasable form anyway. It only exists as archived editorial files. It would be incredibly expensive to rerelease and market.". While it may not be cut together, the studio would likely only need a small amount of money to complete it as opposed to the $30-40 million needed for Justice League. Considering this is a fraction of the budget of a blockbuster, and the kind of money that Warner Max will be putting into its content anyway, it's definitely an affordable option. An Ayer Cut wouldn't even need as much financial support seeing as the film is done; the Snyder Cut has a lot of unfinished visuals but the Ayer Cut just needs to be assembled. HBO Max is the perfect home for the film as well. It would boost their figures, allow fans to see the unfiltered vision of Suicide Squad they were promised, and give the platform exclusive and original content that they need to survive the streaming war.
