David Ayer defended his unseen director’s cut of 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’ once again on X. The movie, which Warner Bros. heavily recut to create a more playful tone, strayed from Ayer’s original darker vision and received poor reviews.
In a recent tweet, the director wrote, “I hope my real film can be shared one day. I appreciate the continued support and interest.”
“The best version simply has not been seen,” he continued in a follow-up post. “I know how difficult it is for someone outside the industry to comprehend how insanely different cuts to a film can be. If you dislike what you’ve seen, here’s an opportunity to see what I actually intended and then judge once you have all the information.”
Ayer noted that he has “no idea if WB would ever release my version,” though. “I have to defer to James [Gunn] and the studio to manage it as they see fit. It’s not something I control. I just believe it would be a lot of fun for those who want to see it, to see my cut,” he added. “If it’s not for you, I totally get that. We all have different taste and likes and dislikes.”
One of the most criticized parts of ‘Suicide Squad’ was Jared Leto’s portrayal of the Joker, who also appeared in Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League.’ Since the film’s release, many have labeled him as ‘the worst live-action Joker.’
Ayer argued that the studio was responsible for this negative reception as they removed the best scenes of Leto’s performance from the final cut.
The actor agreed with the director. He once told IGN, “Were there any that didn’t get cut? I’m asking you, were there any that didn’t get cut? There were so many scenes that got cut from the movie, I couldn’t even start. I think that the Joker… we did a lot of experimentation on the set, we explored a lot. There’s so much that we shot that’s not in the film. If I die anytime soon, it’s probably likely that it’ll surface somewhere. That’s the good news about the death of an actor is all that stuff seems to come out.”
Despite the backlash, Ayer’s ‘Suicide Squad’ made $746.8 million worldwide. Warner Bros. later collaborated with James Gunn for the sequel, ‘The Suicide Squad.’ Unlike the original, Gunn’s movie received praise but did not do well at the box office.
