Director David Ayer says it would be “cathartic” to release an “Ayer cut” of his 2016 superhero movie Suicide Squad — which was widely panned by critics.
Ayer’s comment comes soon after the news that the “Snyder cut” of the 2017 movie Justice League will be released to reveal director Zack Snyder’s original vision for the movie.
Ayer’s Suicide Squad, based on the DC Comics supervillain team of the same name, starred Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto.
Although the film performed well at the box office, grossing more than $745 million worldwide, critics weren’t as enthused.
The movie scored a dismal 27 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus that it had a “disappointing end result” due to a “muddled plot, thinly written characters, and choppy directing.”
Ayer was responding to a question on Twitter
Ayer said he would find it “cathartic” to release his cut of Suicide Squad while responding to a question on Twitter.
Collider’s Steven Weintraub noted in a Twitter comment that the version of Suicide Squad that was released “was not the movie @DavidAyerMovies wanted to release.”
He then asked Ayer whether he would release his cut of the film on HBO Max.
“I’m sure a lot of DC fans would love to see an alt version of the film and it would help sell app,” Weintraub said.
Ayer responded:
“My cut would be easy to complete. It would be incredibly cathartic for me… The film I made has never been seen.”
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
He insisted in his response to another question that his cut was better than what the public saw.
“My cut isn’t the apotheosis of filmmaking. It’s simply better than what the public has seen.”
Of course. My cut isn’t the apotheosis of filmmaking. It’s simply better than what the public has seen – and yes it would make sense to update it. https://t.co/vuV0uHcUeM
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 25, 2020
However, Ayer did not appear optimistic that fans would ever get to see his cut.
“My cut of Suicide Squad may always be just a rumor. And that’s just fine.”
It is simply not my call or my IP. I love WB – it’s always been my ‘home studio’ I fully respect and support the incredible path the DCU is taking under their stewardship. My cut of Suicide Squad may always be just a rumor. And that’s just fine. https://t.co/Prlp8bPgy4
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 21, 2020
Ayer had previously said his cut of Suicide Squad was different
Ayer had previously revealed in a September 2018 tweet that the final version of Suicide Squad which movie fans saw was much different from what he had originally envisioned.
Two different characters. Harley’s arc was vastly simplified. It’s fun to play “gotcha” but remember released film was very different from original assembly.
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) September 22, 2018
Before the release of Suicide Squad in 2016, there had been reports that the movie was being reshot and edited to make changes that significantly altered the characters, story, and tone of the movie.