WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff confirms there are no plans to release the director's cut of Suicide Squad. David Ayer directed the DCEU's third film and the first to not be helmed by Zack Snyder. When approaching the anti-hero team, Ayer envisioned a darker cut centered on characters like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), and Diablo (Jay Hernandez). However, following the disappointing response to the gritty Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and success of hilarious and fourth wall-breaking Deadpool, Warner Bros. effectively told Ayer to change the tone and story of Suicide Squad.
The results were less than stellar, and the past year has seen Ayer come forward with more and more stories about what WB had him alter. Bolstered by the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League, talk of a Suicide Squad director's cut began to mount. Some fans started calling for it on social media, and stars of the film like Joel Kinnaman and Robbie have expressed interest in seeing it, though not quite on the same scale as the Snyder Cut movement. Ayer suggested fans properly campaign for his Suicide Squad on social media, though last November, he debunked rumors that it was headed to HBO Max.
As of right now, the Ayer Cut isn't happening. WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff recently spoke to Variety about the future of the DCEU and touched upon whether there would ever be more director's cuts like Zack Snyder's Justice League. She was specifically asked if fans will ever see Ayer's Suicide Squad, and her response left no room for interpretation: "We won’t be developing David Ayer’s cut." Ayer responded to this on social media, simply writing, "Why?" along with a sad-faced emoji.
This news, while disappointing for some, isn't too surprising. The Snyder Cut movement was a once in a lifetime scenario, and one that was spurred by tragic circumstances. It's unfortunate that Ayer was unable to fully make the Suicide Squad he wished to, but the reason his director's cut exists at all is because of traditional studio influence. Snyder, on the other hand, departed over a family tragedy. Fans fought long and hard to get his movie released, whereas there isn't the same passion for Ayer's Suicide Squad.
This year will see the release of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, a semi-sequel, semi-reboot of Ayer's film. The new movie can give the DCEU its second shot at properly depicting the titular team, and it could very well end up being better than the 2016 Suicide Squad. Again, it is a shame Ayer's cut won't be released, but perhaps it will be for the best that the DCEU won't get caught up in what could have beens and can instead move forward to a more exciting future.
Source: Variety, David Ayer
