‘Suicide Squad’ Director David Ayer Defends His Unreleased Cut, Shows Support For James Gunn — ‘I Made Something Amazing’
Suicide Squad director David Ayer recently took to Twitter to speak out in defense of the 2016 film. The movie, which is being compared negatively to James Gunn’s standalone sequel, The Suicide Squad, received a ton of criticism when it was first released, but Ayer claims it’s not his fault.
On July 29, the Training Day and The Fast and the Furious writer shared a lengthy tweet explaining all of the behind-the-scenes drama that led to the release of his poorly-received flick, citing pushback from the studio and a lack of support for his creative vision.
He also took a moment to congratulate Gunn on The Suicide Squad, wishing success to everyone involved with the movie.
‘Suicide Squad’ director David Ayer says his cut of the movie never got released
Ayer sent out the tweet after a journalist stated that he should forget about releasing the “Ayer’s Cut” of 2016’s Suicide Squad, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I put my life into Suicide Squad,” he said. “I made something amazing — My cut is intricate and emotional journey with some ‘bad people’ who are s*** on and discarded (a theme that resonates in my soul). The studio cut is not my movie. Read that again.”
Ayer noted that his cut is of higher quality, specifically in regard to its cinematic elements.
“It has traditional character arcs, amazing performances, a solid third act resolution. A handful of people have seen it. If someone says they have seen it, they haven’t.”
Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ gives Ayer hopes to release his cut
The catalyst for the debate stems from remarks Ayer made earlier in the year about his desire to release his intended cut of Suicide Squad. Back in March, he told Entertainment Weekly that the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League showed that there’s a space for his work to be seen.
“I think the studios see now that there can be canon, there can be non-canon, the fans just want to touch it,” Ayer said. “They love the characters, they just want to spend more time with it. … But absolute credit to Warner Bros. for supporting Zack and having the courage to explore that.”
Ayer wants a chance to show the world the film that he put years of his life into, not the version that Warner Bros ended up presenting to the masses.
“It’s frustrating because I made a really heartfelt drama and it got ripped to pieces and they tried to turn it into Deadpool, which it just wasn’t supposed to be,” he said of his Suicide Squad. “And then you take the hit, you’re the captain of the ship, my name was on it. [Laughs] Even though it didn’t represent what I actually made, I would take all the bullets and be a good soldier. I made an amazing movie. It’s an amazing movie, it just scared the s— out of the executives.”
David Ayer supports James Gunn’s ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel
Despite his feelings about how things went down with the studio, Ayer still wishes nothing but success for Gunn’s sequel, which comes out on August 6.
“I’m so proud of James and excited for the success that’s coming. I support [Warner Brothers] and am thrilled the franchise is getting the legs it needs,” he said. “I’m rooting for everyone, the cast, the crew. Every movie is a miracle. And Jame’s [sic] brilliant work will be the miracles of miracles. I appreciate your patience. I will no longer speak publicly on this matter.”
