David Ayer Teases ‘Suicide Squad’ Director’s Cut Release

David Ayer, director of the 2016 DC Extended Universe movie Suicide Squad, remains hopeful that his original version of the film will eventually be released.

In a recent interview with Total Film for its 2024 preview issue, Ayer expressed optimism about the release of his cut, despite acknowledging significant political resistance against it. He believes that once released, his version will reveal the true quality of the film and the actors’ performances, which were altered in the theatrical release.

“I think so, I’m going to be hopeful,” he said. “You know, there are a lot of people that are invested in certain narratives that don’t want it to see the light of day. So there’s an immense political headwind against it, because if that cut were made public, the cowardliness and the whole just general shittiness of how the film’s been treated, and how the actors have had this great work that they’d done taken away… That narrative blows up once people see the movie. But it’s coming. Something’s going to happen. Something’s going to be revealed. The truth always comes out. It always comes out.”

Ayer’s confidence is fueled by the success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, which led to the release of Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of 2017’s Justice League. Fans have similarly rallied behind #ReleaseTheAyerCut, advocating for Ayer’s original vision of Suicide Squad, especially after reports surfaced that the movie was heavily edited in post-production. These edits included removing most of Jared Leto’s Joker scenes and replacing the original score with pop songs.

The director has been vocal on social media, sharing concept art, behind-the-scenes images, and story details from his cut. While Warner Bros. and DC Studios have not indicated any plans to release Ayer’s version, Ayer shared in August 2023 that James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, suggested it might be shared after the launch of the new DC shared universe.

According to Ayer’s post on Twitter, he wrote, “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being shown seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it’s time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects.”

Since Suicide Squad, Ayer has directed Bright (2017) and The Tax Collector (2020), as well as episodes of the TV series Deputy. He’s also the director of The Beekeeper, an upcoming action thriller with Jason Statham, set for release in January 2024. Ayer and Statham are slated to reunite for Levon’s Trade, an action movie written by Sylvester Stallone and based on Chuck Dixon’s novel, with production beginning in London in March 2024.

For now, DC fans can watch the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad on HBO GO, as they await any developments on the release of Ayer’s original vision for the film.