Since its inception with Man of Steel, the DCEU had a wild ride in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. 2016's Suicide Squad was definitely in the latter category, although it would have an impact on a number of upcoming DC movies that came after. Filmmaker David Ayer has been open about how the studio interfered with his vision, even saying Harley Quinn's story was eviscerated. Ayer recently claimed his version of the DC movie is one of the "best comic book movies ever made", so give him the Ayer Cut already.
After Warner Bros. gave Zack Snyder millions to complete his version of Justice League, some fans immediately began campaigning for the same thing to happen for Suicide Squad, complete with the hashtag #ReleaseTheAyerCut. It doesn't seem like that's going to happen, especially with a new shared universe being formed. But Ayer spoke to THR, revealing the response he's gotten from folks who saw his originaln take on Suicide Squad. As he put it:
The studio has gone through several iterations of leadership, and nobody involved ever had any malice or ill will or anything. Everyone just wanted the same result, which was a great commercial movie. There was just a big delta on what that was. The thing that's been difficult for me is that I made a great film. I made a great film. The people who have seen my cut have pretty much unanimously said that it's one of the best comic book movies ever made.
Talk about some big claims. Many of us moviegoers have spent years watching the DC movies in order, and would no doubt love to watch the Ayer Cut and weigh in about the movie's quality. But alas, only the OG version and James Gunn's R-Rated sequel are available with a Max subscription.
I can only imagine how much extra content would be in the Ayer Cut that folks didn't see when watching Suicide Squad in theaters back in 2016. The role of Jared Leto's Joker was reportedly the biggest victim of this, which the filmmaker often laments. Later in that same interview, Ayer went on to speak about how folks have received his cut of the DC flick, offering:
If someone who's seen the cut wants to dispute that, then they can come talk to me. I was pilloried, pilloried, in the media again and again over it, and then pilloried again and again in the press launch of subsequent IPs, but I kept my mouth shut for years. I learned that nature abhors a vacuum, and if you don't tell your story, then somebody else will. It's incredibly unjust, and I can't point to a similar situation, ever. It's mind blowing. It's a scar, it's a wound and it's taken a lot out of me. It also took a lot of equity out of my career, unfairly.
Well, I've got some serious FOMO right now. While Ayer has been open about his disappointment surrounding Suicide Squad for years now, hearing that it was apparently such a great film makes me want to see it even more. But with new the new DC Universe forming with its first set of projects titled Gods and Monsters, going back to the old DCEU for the Ayer Cut seems unlikely.
While the theatrical cut failed to impress audiences it made money, inspired Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad, and even won an Oscar for make-up and hair. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we'll be seeing the Ayer Cut anytime soon.
The next DC movie hitting theaters is Superman: Legacy on July 11th, 2025. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
