The Disappointing Update on the Suicide Squad David Ayer Cut Release

The Rise and Fall of Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad director David Ayer's much-discussed director’s cut of the 2016 DC movie seems to finally be off the table for good, according to a statement on social media by the man himself. Releasing in 2016 as part of the then-prominent DC Extended Universe, Suicide Squad was initially the subject of intense fan anticipation despite the disappointment surrounding Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice earlier in the year and negative early reviews from critics.

wb-david-ayer-suicide-squad

The film boasted a star-studded cast and a more comedic feel in the guise of an MCU project, leading to a strong showing at theaters to the tune of $746.8 million. This commercial success wouldn’t translate to critical acclaim, as the film was generally seen as bad, a failing that Ayer blamed on interference with his vision, leading to calls for another go at it, with DCEU boss Zack Snyder rooting for an Ayer cut of Suicide Squad.

While WarnerMedia shot down the Suicide Squad Ayer cut as far back as 2021, the director has been tacitly hopeful about its chances of release and showed no signs of giving up on the prospect. That was until a recent interaction on social media revealed that the filmmaker might have finally thrown in the towel. As reported by ComicBook, the matter was brought up during an interaction on X, with Ayer stating in a now-deleted tweet that “Nothing about the situation feels good. Studio has no interest in releasing it. It’s time to run and not look back.” The missing tweet was part of a longer series of posts that included Ayer categorically stating that he was “done with DC.”

Ayer's Vision and Frustrations

Ayer has long since balked at the negative response to his film, alleging that Warner Bros ruined his vision for Suicide Squad's Joker as portrayed by Jared Leto, whose underwhelming presence in the film is the single most egregious failing brought up by fans of the franchise. While current DC Studios kingpin James Gunn has previously shown some interest in seeing the director’s vision, even once purportedly putting forward a condition for a Suicide Squad Ayer cut release, the volatile state of the industry and the massive plans for Gunn's new DCU alongside Peter Safran likely mean that any progress that Ayer had made in talks with Gunn is down the drain, leading to the frustration evident in the deleted post.

In truth, at this point, there are just as many people who firmly believe that an Ayer Cut wouldn’t make Suicide Squad a better movie as there are fans who want it if not more. While Ayer seems unlikely ever to get his creative vision out there, fans did get to see a critically acclaimed redo of the whole thing from Gunn himself in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, which was much more well-received and did well with fans, albeit with no commercial success to show for it due to the Warner Bros. 2021 policy of simultaneous releases in theaters and on streaming. This success, which also spawned spin-offs like the Birds of Prey film and Max's Peacemaker, pretty much marked the death of any serious studio incentive to release a more palatable version of Ayer's 2016 version.

Looking Forward

The DCEU is best left in the past, with Aquaman 2's box office among the lowest yet for a superhero movie and ending the franchise with a whimper. DC fans should be looking forward to a new lease on the characters and concepts that Ayer and others put forth in Gunn's new era, not backward. Suicide Squad (2016) is currently available for streaming on Max.