Just like with Justice League, the original version of Suicide Squad that was shot differed greatly from what was ultimately released in theaters. However, while Zack Snyder’s Justice League was eventually released to Max subscribers and on home media, the “Ayer Cut” of Suicide Squad still has yet to surface to the public. However, director David Ayer is still optimistic it will be released one day, sharing this continued hope in a new interview, where he also called out Warner Bros. Pictures for its “cowardliness” as it pertains to his original Suicide Squad.
Back in 2020, Ayer talked about how his Suicide Squad was “ripped to pieces,” with “the first 40 minutes” being left on the cutting room floor and the theatrical version’s being significantly different from what was originally envisioned. It’s now been seven years since Suicide Squad played on the big screen, and while Warner Bros. has given no indication that it will give this movie the same treatment it did with Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Ayer believes it his director’s cut will be released, telling Total Film:
I think so. I'm going to be hopeful. You know, there are a lot of people that are invested in certain narratives that don't want it to see the light of day. So there’s an immense political headwind against it, because if that cut were made public, the cowardliness and the whole just general shittiness of how the film's been treated, and how the actors have had this great work that they'd done taken away… That narrative blows up once people see the movie. But it's coming. Something's going to happen. Something's going to be revealed. The truth always comes out. It always comes out.
While the rumors swirling about the Ayer Cut being being released back in August ended up being not true, the filmmaker believes it’s a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ his ideal Suicide Squad is shared with the masses. As Ayer pointed out, there’s a lot of support for this original Suicide Squad vision, and he’s confident that once people see the movie, they’ll instantly understand why he’s been so passionate about it getting released. The director’s cut of Suicide Squad has reportedly been privately screened, but the man remains confident that there will come a day that everyone will have the chance to watch it.
As far as David Ayer’s blunt words directed at Warner Bros., it’s just the latest example of him not holding back with expressing his dissatisfaction with how the studio handled Suicide Squad. He previously explained that the reason the movie was overhauled was in response to Deadpool’s critical success and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, its DCEU predecessor, not being well received by critics. Ayer has also said it wouldn’t take much in order to finish his Suicide Squad cut, just some money for “VFX work.” Ayer is at least on good terms with DC Studios co-head James Gunn, but as far as Warner Bros. itself goes, he’s obviously still unhappy with the way the studio handled his entry in the superhero movies canon.
We’ll just have to wait and see if David Ayer ends up being correct or not, but for now, his newest movie, The Beekeeper, hits theaters January 12 on the 2024 movies schedule. As far as upcoming DC movies go, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will close out the DCEU on December 20, and following Joker: Folie à Deux’s release on October 4, 2024, Superman: Legacy will help get the DC Universe Chapter One slate going on July 11, 2025.
