Suicide Squad Director David Ayer Reveals The Film’s Original Opening Scene And More

Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

Many fans are still excited about the many new things we learned about James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad during DC FanDome, but there are still plenty of fans hoping to learn more about David Ayer’s 2016 film. The director has made it known that the theatrical cut wasn’t his original vision for the movie, and he’s since shared different tidbits about his initial plans. Now, Ayer has revealed what he was planning for the opening sequence as well as a few other early scenes.

While responding to a fan question on Twitter, David Ayer revealed that the opening scene of Suicide Squad was supposed to feature Cara Delevingne’s June Moone discovering Enchantress and unleashing her in the jungle. The filmmaker also explained that a key scene regarding Joker and Harley Quinn was meant to follow:

In my cut the first scene is June Moone discovering and releasing Enchantress in a jungle locations. Next scene is an extended assault on Arkham by Joker’s crew then he electroshocks Harley. There was more to club and an argument between HQ and J in his car.

Fans have long been aware of just how much was cut from Suicide Squad, thanks in large part to trailers and TV spots that included footage not seen in theaters. While June Moone’s search in the jungle was included in the film, the scene only appears briefly while Amanda Waller was briefing government officials on Task Force X. Other scenes from trailers also show Moone in a swampy pit.

Joker’s assault on Arkham Asylum was also integrated into the theatrical cut and was, again, seen while Waller details Quinn’s backstory. Joker’s attempts to torture Harley by shocking her are also included, but it sounds like Ayer might have intended to include more. As for the scene that shows the couple in the car, previously released stills have hinted at there being more to it. The same can also be said of the nightclub sequence.

If anything, David Ayer’s new comments will only increase fans’ hopes that an “Ayer Cut” of Suicide Squad will be released at some point in the future. Many would agree that the original film was somewhat incoherent at times, so there could be a real opportunity to tell a more cohesive (and interesting) story. Ayer himself isn’t quite sure if the cut will actually become a reality, but he’s definitely indicated that he would be happy to produce it if given the opportunity.

WarnerMedia hasn’t indicated that it would be willing to release a director’s cut of Suicide Squad at this point in time. However, after the way fans willed Zack Snyder’s Justice League into existence, anything is truly possible. But until then, we’ll just settle for these nice little nuggets from David Ayer.

Suicide Squad is currently available to stream on HBO Max.

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.