David Ayer, helmer of the 2016 Suicide Squad, still has hope there will be a director's cut release for the much-maligned film. Prior to its release, the DCEU's Suicide Squad was highly anticipated among fans, drawing up excited buzz with its Queen-backed trailers and colorful posters. However, the film itself proved to be a massive disappointment, with many taking issue with the jumbled plot and tone. Ayer has since opened up about how Warner Bros.' meddling ultimately forced Suicide Squad in a different direction than he had initially planned. The studio was displeased with reactions to the gloomy Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and sought to prevent Suicide Squad from going the same way.
Last year's announcement that the famed Snyder Cut of Justice League (which fans had spent years fighting for) would debut on HBO Max gave rise to several fan campaigns in the hopes that they could get similar results for projects they felt studios had neglected. This included Ayer's Suicide Squad director's cut. Ayer encouraged fans to reach out directly to WarnerMedia about Suicide Squad, and some fans have indeed tried to promote the cause. However, WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff said just last week that the studio has no plans to release the Suicide Squad Ayer Cut.
Ayer initially responded to the news on social media with a disappointed face, but now he's spoken out a bit more on the subject. In a new interview with EW, Ayer shared the continued hopes he has for a Suicide Squad director's cut. He believes the intense fan response to the Snyder Cut can spur change in how studios look at their projects:
"I think the studios see now that there can be canon, there can be non-canon, the fans just want to touch it. They love the characters, they just want to spend more time with it. And people are way more sophisticated about how movies are made and want to be participants in the journey. There's room for different things, different versions, different assets being shared with the audience. I think it just helps strengthen the community. But absolute credit to Warner Bros. for supporting Zack and having the courage to explore that."
Additionally, Ayer added he still feels frustrated with how the initial Suicide Squad turned out, particularly since his cut was an "amazing movie":
"I get it, it's a business. It's frustrating because I made a really heartfelt drama and it got ripped to pieces and they tried to turn it into Deadpool, which it just wasn't supposed to be. And then you take the hit, you're the captain of the ship, my name was on it. [Laughs] Even though it didn't represent what I actually made, I would take all the bullets and be a good soldier. I made an amazing movie. It's an amazing movie, it just scared the s--- out of the executives."
When looking at the Snyder Cut, it's easy to believe strong fan interest can make anything happen. However, the two situations are really quite different. Director Zack Snyder had to depart Justice League over a family tragedy, and the resulting version of the film was unlike what he initially planned. Fans campaigned for three years to see the Snyder Cut, and they employed methods like billboards, fundraising efforts, and endless hashtags. Any potential movement for the Ayer Cut has yet to do this on the same scale as the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, and the reasons for Suicide Squad's alterations didn't stem from tragedy, just studio interference.
On the other hand, for Ayer to see something he worked so hard on get needlessly trashed because of decisions he did not make must be difficult. Ayer stands by the Suicide Squad he made, and he would like to share it with the world. That's understandable. Whether WarnerMedia will feel the same remains to be seen, though right now, it's just not happening.
Source: EW
