Suicide Squad: David Ayer blasts the theatrical cut

Last Updated on August 10, 2021

With the overwhelmingly positive reviews for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad rolling in, fans can't help but look back at the first Suicide Squad film from David Ayer. Although the 2016 film was a box-office success, critics weren't overly kind to the super-villain team-up, but it's no secret that the theatrical cut of the film was far from the vision David Ayer had intended.

David Ayer took to Twitter to respond to someone who said that he should give up on the idea of a Suicide Squad director's cut by reaffirming that while he "put his life into Suicide Squad," the version pretty much everyone has seen is in one way the cut of his movie. "I made something amazing," Ayer tweeted. "My cut is intricate and emotional journey with some bad people who are shit on and discarded (a theme that resonates in my soul). The studio cut is not my movie. Read that again. And my cut is not the 10 week director’s cut – it’s a fully mature edit by Lee Smith standing on the incredible work by John Gilroy. It’s all Steven Price’s brilliant score, with not a single radio song in the whole thing. It has traditional character arcs, amazing performances, a solid third-act resolution. A handful of people have seen it." You can check out the whole Tweet below.

The Suicide Squad director went on to say that he's never told his side and the story and never will, but stated that he's "so proud" of what James Gunn has accomplished with the new film. "I'm rooting for everyone, the cast, the crew," Ayer wrote. "Every movie is a miracle. And James' brilliant work will be the miracle of miracles." Although Warner Bros. have previously stated that they would not be releasing David Ayer's cut of Suicide Squad, fans haven't given up hope that it might see the light of day. I remain doubtful, but with the successful release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League, anything is possible.

The official synopsis for The Suicide Squad:

Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

The Suicide Squad will hit theaters on August 5, 2021 and start streaming on HBO Max the following day. You can check out a review from our own JimmyO right here.