James Gunn Breaks Silence On Calls For Suicide Squad’s Ayer Cut

The cast of Suicide Squad (2016)

DC fans have won the battle when it comes to the Snyder Cut, but they may now be facing a new one. With the announcement that Zack Snyder’s original vision for Justice League is coming to HBO Max, fans are now wondering if the same can be done for David Ayer’s original cut of Suicide Squad. While Warner Bros. has yet to speak to the possibility of it actually happening, Ayer appears to be all for it. Now, his Suicide Squad successor, James Gunn, has shared his thoughts on a possible release for the director’s cut.

On Twitter, a fan recently asked The Suicide Squad director James Gunn how he would feel about Warner Bros. releasing the Ayer Cut of the 2016 film, and the filmmaker gave a fairly simple answer:

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So it would seem that James Gunn is fine with Warner Bros. and David Ayer potentially dropping the film. Even though Gunn is currently working on his own big-screen interpretation of Task Force X, he undoubtedly knows the circumstances that occurred during the making of the original. And as a director, he can likely sympathize with Ayer wanting fans to see what he originally intended.

James Gunn’s positive sentiments didn’t go unnoticed, as Ayer also spotted and retweeted them. In his post, The Fury director thanked Gunn for the support and praised him as a filmmaker:

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Gunn would then respond to Ayer’s post with a bit of praise of his own. It’s always nice to see two creatives showing each other love, especially those who’ve worked for two different companies that hold two competing superhero franchises. However, Gunn has made it clear that he’s a fan of all comic books. And there isn’t a rivalry between Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios as there is among the fans.

Some may still be surprised that James Gunn would be ok with a possible Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad, but he honestly has no reason to feel threatened by it. Many of the fans who want to see a finished version of Ayer’s film are also excited to see Gunn’s take on the property. If anything, releasing the Ayer Cut before The Suicide Squad hits theaters could possibly increase the excitement for the latter.

There also wouldn’t be any complications from a story perspective. Even though an Ayer Cut would add more to the story we’ve seen, it likely wouldn’t impact Gunn’s project since his is reportedly a standalone tale.

It remains to be seen if the Ayer Cut will see the light of day, but it’s hard to deny that this momentum is reminiscent of the early days of the Snyder Cut campaign.

We here at CinemaBlend will be sure to keep you posted with updates as they arrive, and fans can still look forward to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which is set to open on August 6, 2021.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.