The Ayer Cut ofSuicide Squadis a no-go at Warner Bros., and director David Ayer appears to be pretty disappointed. Last week saw the release ofZack Snyder’s Justice League, aka the “Snyder Cut,” on HBO Max. This was the result of a popular fan campaign for Warner Bros. to release the Snyder Cut, arguing that the movie would have turned out better if Snyder had completedJustice Leaguehis way.
When Warner Bros. had announced that they were bringing back Zack Snyder to finish the Snyder Cut, a similar fan campaign launched on social media to#ReleaseTheAyerCut. As withJustice League, the idea is thatSuicide Squadwould have been a better movie if Ayer’s original vision for the project had been reached before studio meddling brought about many major changes. This was something Ayer himself has suggested that he’d be open to if given the chance.
Unfortunately forDavid Ayerfans, it’s now been confirmed that the Ayer Cut won’t be happening after all. Speaking about what’s next at the company, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff addressed the success ofZack Snyder’s Justice League. When directly asked if David Ayer’s cut ofSuicide Squadwas next, Sarnoff ripped off the band-aid by getting straight to the point.
“We won’t be developing David Ayer’s cut.”
Catching wind of the news, Ayer himself took to Twitter to ask, “Why?” The filmmaker also included a sad emoji to express his disappointment.
It’s not hard to understand why this is tough news for Ayer. Last year, Ayer stressed how eager he would be to complete the Ayer Cut if only Warner Bros. would let him. Better yet, the director also suggested that it wouldn’t take nearly as much work to finish the cut, making it seem very possible that the Ayer Cut would actually happen.
“My cut would beeasy to complete,” Ayer said. “It would be incredibly cathartic for me. It’s exhausting getting your ass kicked for a film that got the Edward Scissorhands treatment. The film I made has never been seen.”
If nothing else, it would appear that Jared Leto has gotten some redemption. His performance as the Joker inSuicide Squadwas widely criticized when the movie was released in 2016, though Ayer said his performance wasvastly better in the original cut. That might be true as many DC fans loved Joker’s appearance in the Snyder Cut, which saw the Clown Prince of Crime facing off with Batman in one of the movie’s most popular scenes.
Meanwhile, James Gunn has taken his own crack atSuicide Squadwith the upcoming movieThe Suicide Squad. With a cast including Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, John Cena as Peacemaker, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and Idris Elba as Bloodsport, the movie features a mix of returning and original characters. Also set to have a spinoff series with Cena’s Peacemaker on HBO Max, the movie is scheduled to be released on Jul 16, 2025.
