With the news that Warner Media is bringing the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League to its streaming platform, HBO Max, people have started wondering what other bad DC superhero movies could possibly get the “director’s cut” treatment on the streamer. Of course, the biggest one is Suicide Squad, the critically panned but financially successful anti-hero film from director David Ayer.
The movie was notoriously a mess, with multiple editors providing multiple cuts of the film and the studio constantly intervening. The cut that was released was not Ayer’s version, and the director has been vocal about how much it pains him to watch the final film. So much so that he recently chimed in to say he is open to the idea of completing his cut of the film to run on HBO Max as well.
This is a good question. My cut would be easy to complete. It would be incredibly cathartic for me. It’s exhausting getting your ass kicked for a film that got the Edward Scissorhands treatment. The film I made has never been seen. https://t.co/FkeHAlNoV0
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 25, 2020
David Ayer is correct that a director’s cut of Suicide Squad would take much less work. If reports from the film’s release are true, then the director had his own cut of the movie already worked out and partially made, unlike Snyder who is in some aspects starting from scratch with his version of Justice League. That means a lot less cost for the studio.
It’s not really clear if WB would jump on this. There’s been far less demand to #ReleasetheAyerCut of Suicide Squad. Justice League had an entire social media campaign pushing it forward along with rabid fans of DC’s biggest characters. Plus, there’s the fact that the studio is already working on a sequel with James Gunn, which is recasting leads and probably going to be different from Ayer’s vision. It’s unlikely WB would want to muddy the waters of the soft reboot by releasing Ayer’s version of the first film. Still, Suicide Squad pulled in $746.8 million worldwide, outpacing even Justice League, so WB doesn’t see the film as a failure.
Director’s cuts are nothing new, but in the past they’ve simply been an added scene or a bit more dialog here and there. With Justice League and Suicide Squad we’re talking about completely different edits that will drastically change the films. The chances of Ayer getting his wish are pretty slim, but maybe that’s for the best.
