David Ayer has recently joined a movement, started by fans of his Suicide Squad film, in hopes of replicating the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign and convincing Warner Bros. to release the director’s original version of the 2016 DC movie, prior to studio-enforced reshoots and recutting.
The filmmaker has been actively discussing ‘The Ayer Cut’ of Suicide Squad on Twitter lately, revealing that that Warner Bros. found the tone to be too dark, saying the first trailer “nailed the tone and intention of the film I made. Methodical. Layered. Complex, beautiful, and sad.”
He continues to explain what made the studio decide to change the tone, stating: “After the [Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice] reviews shell shocked the leadership at the time, and the success of Deadpool, my soulful drama was beaten into a ‘comedy.'”
Ayer then goes on to say there was a specific Joker scene that made the studio a bit nervous about the film’s darkness. When asked about the infamous Joker torturing Harley Quinn scene, he says it was too dark, even though the Nolan films before him inspired him:
“This [the Joker torture scene] was reshot because the tone was ‘too dark’ – My first act was a normally constructed film. I took my inspiration from Nolan. There were real scenes with incredible acting between Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. Joker was terrifying. Harley was complex.
This was reshot because the tone was “too dark” – My first act was a normally constructed film. I took my inspiration from Nolan. There were real scenes with incredible acting between Jared and Margot. Joker was terrifying. Harley was complex. https://t.co/KeJHmI6EA7
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 30, 2020
One of the more interesting notes from Ayer’s Twitter Q&A is when he brought up 2019’s Joker and the tone of that film:
Imagine if Todd Phillips film The Joker was reshot and recut because it was too dark — This is EXACTLY what happened to Suicide Squad. Anyone who says my cut did not work owes me to say it directly to me. https://t.co/O1kcpsiOX4
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) May 30, 2020
It is interesting that only three years after toning down Ayer’s vision for The Joker, Warner Bros. okayed a far darker version of the character with Todd Phillips’ Joker. Oddly enough, both Suicide Squad and Joker would go on to win Oscars, one for hair and make-up and the other for acting and score.
SEE ALSO: Suicide Squad director is heartbroken that most of Jared Leto’s Joker work won’t be seen
Where do you stand? Do you want to see the ‘Ayer Cut’ of 2016’s Suicide Squad? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Suicide Squad sees David Ayer (Fury) directing a cast that includes Will Smith (Focus) as Deadshot, Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flag, Viola Davis (The Help) as Amanda Waller, Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns) as Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc, Jay Hernandez (Hostel) as El Diablo, Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Jim Parrack (Fury) as Johnny Frost, Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Batman, newcomer Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Common (Selma) as Monster T, Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) as Captain Griggs and Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride) as Lieutenant ‘GQ’ Edwards.
