It doesn’t appear that David Ayer’s cut of 2016’s will ever actually get released, even though the filmmaker behind it has stated that everyone who has seen it is a big fan. There’s been an ongoing saga of “The Ayer Cut” since Suicide Squad‘s release, as it was made clear that there were a ton of changes made by Warner Bros. during the post-production process. When Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally made it to the public, there was a renewed hope that Ayer’s film would get the same treatment. That no longer appears to be the case, as Ayer has said those at DC and Warner Bros. Discovery have been “radio silent” as of late.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of his new film, The Beekeeper, Ayer said that the most frustrating part of the Suicide Squad saga is knowing he made a “great film.” He went on to say that those who have seen it claim it’s “one of the best” comic book movies out there.
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“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,” Ayer explained. “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. 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.”
When asked about still wanting to release it, Ayer once again mentioned that the studio hasn’t been communicating with him about it so it may finally be time to move on.
“Look, I can take the hint. It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill. I love directing, I love my job, I love working with actors. There are great places and great partners out there to work with, and I just want to focus on being a great partner and making some good movies.”
