It’s been more than seven years since the third installment of the DC Extended Universe, Suicide Squad released. Orchestrated by David Ayer, the movie introduced Harley Quinn and Joker to the shared universe.
Since then a lot has happened in the DCEU, including a follow-up to The Suicide Squad movie made by James Gunn, who’s now spearheading the reboot of the franchise with his DCU. We are now one movie – Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – away from seeing curtains down on what has been an underwhelming franchise for DC Studios. However, it seems Ayer and his fans are still knocking on the doors for a chance at releasing Suicide Squad’s director cut.
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How David Ayer Used Ben Affleck’s Batman Scene to Strengthen His Case for Suicide Squad Director’s Cut
Suicide Squad was a massive hit at the time, grossing $747 million at the box office globally. However, the David Ayer-directed film about the most dangerous incarcerated supervillains being brought together didn’t enjoy the same success as its predecessor.
The fact that James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad garnered many more positive reviews didn’t paint a very bright picture for the original movie either. And all this time, Ayer has been talking about his cut which supposedly does a lot more justice to the storyline than what fans got to see in theaters.
Among the many complaints, the one that frequently pops up on the internet is how Harley Quinn’s arc was dealt with in the movie, with many complaining Margot Robbie’s character never got emancipated. In that regard, an X account named The Ayer Cut has shared two clips parallel to each other to show how Ayer’s version dealt with Quinn’s experiences with both Joker and Ben Affleck‘s Batman.
The first clip highlights how Jared Leto’s manipulative character dives into a toxic pool to save her – after initially asking her “Will you die for me?” – so he can continue abusing her. The other shows Batman diving into the fresh ocean water to save her so that he can get her some help.
Someone finally clocked it 😉 https://t.co/PI69RsHNVZ
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) December 19, 2023
Ayer saw the post and retweeted it with a comment, “Someone finally clocked it ;)”
This isn’t the first time the filmmaker has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to share his desire for the release of Suicide Squad’s director’s cut.
David Ayer Makes Bold Claim Regarding Suicide Squad Director’s Cut
In August of this year, responding to another fan post, the 55-year-old explained in detail why he was still keen for his fans to see his supposed true vision of the 2016 hit.
Ayer claimed his cut plays much better than the studio version, adding he even held talks with Gunn, who’s now co-CEO of DC Studios, about the same.
“All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release,” he said (via X). “The interest in my cut being show 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. In a way I’m chained to this thing. I’m riding a tiger here and navigating this situation the best I can. Life is a very strange journey.”
Ayer has even defended the arc of the much-maligned Joker we see in Suicide Squad, clearing the character in his cut is formidable, intense, and a force of nature instead of being only shown as unfocused and silly.
