With James Gunn’s new DCU on the horizon, the ten-year saga of the DCEU is at its final stages. The DCEU was riddled with mismanagement, studio interference, and corporate shenanigans, which grossly affected the quality of the films, taking the creativity away from the directors.
The two biggest victims of the studio’s mishandling of the classic IP were directors Zack Snyder and David Ayer. While Snyder’s vision has received some sort of redemption with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, David Ayer is still vigorously campaigning for his cut of Suicide Squad. Recently, Ayer revealed that James Gunn had promised that his cut would see the light of day.
How Did Studio Interference Butcher David Ayer’s Vision?
After kickstarting the DCEU with the Zack Snyder directorial Man of Steel, Warner Brothers, the studio behind the films, greenlit two films in hopes of creating a shared universe. One was the Snyder-directed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the second was David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Both films were planned to be setting up the eventual team-up film Justice League.
Actors Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Cara Delevingne were cast in Suicide Squad. A somber and melancholic teaser was also released at Comic-Con, which director David Ayer mentioned was more in line with his vision. However, after the polarizing reviews of Batman v Superman, most of which criticized its dark and gritty tone, the studio changed the vision of Suicide Squad to make it more ‘fun’ and ‘light’.
The theatrical cut of Suicide Squad was heavily panned upon release. The film received criticism for its messy screenplay, reduced screen time for the Joker, as well as a rushed third act. Fans were especially angry at the overall seven minutes of screen time Jared Leto’s Joker got in the film despite being heavily featured in the promotional material.
The mess was chalked up to studio interference as extensive reshoots were made after the release of Batman v Superman. The studio did it again with the Snyder-directed Justice League, which led to the ‘#ReleaseTheSnyderCut’ movement.
James Gunn’s Promise To Release The ‘Ayer Cut’
After Warner Brothers and Discovery merged under CEO David Zaslav, it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be taking over the reins on the DCU. They announced a new slate of films that would act as a soft reboot for the DCEU. However, David Ayer mentioned that Gunn assured him that the ‘Ayer Cut’ would see the light of day.
In a recent conversation on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ayer responded to a fan who was skeptical about the Ayer Cut. He mentioned that James Gunn had told him that there was space for the Ayer Cut to be in the DCU and that it would soon see the light. He said,
“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 its time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects”
The director also shared that he had a harrowing experience making the film and that it made him ‘rethink everything’. He also addressed the skepticism and ridicule that the campaign receives among certain sections of fans.
“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.”
Fans have since come out in support of David Ayer. The director also screened the film to one of the admins behind the ‘Ayer Cut’ campaign, who revealed some information about the direction of the film.
Source: Variety
