Will The Suicide Squad Also Suffer From Studio Interference? Here’s What James Gunn Says

Harley in Suicide Squad

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The DC Extended Universe has had a unique life in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. One of the most highly anticipated blockbusters coming down the line is James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which will be a soft reboot to David Ayer's 2017 movie. Fans are eager to see what the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker will do with DC characters, but some are wondering if Gunn has had to deal with studio interference like his predecessor. And now he's addressed those concerns directly.

David Ayer's Suicide Squad had a ton of hype surrounding it ahead of its release. But the studio ultimately pushed for a more comedic one after the success of Deadpool, with Ayer's vision largely falling to the wayside. As such, fans have been curious about how much creative freedom James Gunn was given when filming and editing The Suicide Squad. As he put it,

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Well, that's a relief. It looks like James Gunn will be able to put the entirety of his vision into The Suicide Squad ahead of its release. The Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker's work has spoken for itself, especially within the comic book genre. So it should be fascinating to see what Gunn does with the scrappy group of villains, and how many of the mysterious characters ultimately make it out alive.

James Gunn addressed The Suicide Squad studio interference (or lack thereof) over on his personal Twitter page. Gunn regularly uses social media to directly communicate with the fans, answering questions and shutting down rumors about his two upcoming book blockbusters. And when asked about any possible studio interference for his DC debut, he quickly shut that rumor down.

The conversation around studio interference is inspired by the experience David Ayer had with the OG Suicide Squad movie. The movie's Queen-fueled trailer and killer cast instantly captured the attention of audiences, but much of Ayer's vision for the blockbuster ended up on the cutting room floor. Instead the project was edited to be much lighter, and failed to resonate with audiences when it hit theaters. Plus, Jared Leto's Joker was all but cut in the process.

The original Suicide Squad movie is currently streaming on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Since its release, David Ayer has been open about Suicide Squad was altered by the powers that be, sometimes sharing information regarding the deleted scenes and abandoned concepts. Now James Gunn will continue the franchise with The Suicide Squad, featuring the return of actors Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Joel Kinnaman.

Exactly what James Gunn has in store for The Suicide Squad is a complete mystery. Gunn assembled a massive cast of names to bring the story to life, although most of their roles haven't been revealed at this point. The filmmaker is known for putting everything from his sense of humor, taste in music, and dance moves into The Guardians of the Galaxy, so there's no telling what he'll bring to the DC Extended Universe.

The Suicide Squad is currently expected to arrive in theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.