Suicide Squad: Why David Ayer’s Original Cut Is Different Than Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Since Warner Bros. Pictures announced Zack Snyder’s Justice League is coming to HBO Max in 2021, some DC fans have turned their attention to Suicide Squad. Suicide Squad underwent significant changes in reshoots before it opened theaters in 2016, and some fans hope to see director David Ayer‘s original cut released. Ayer says his version of the film is almost complete as is, lacking some special effects work, but the situation around that film is different than the Snyder Cut. On the one hand, Ayer’s cut is closer to completion than Snyder’s was. Ayer’s cut existed in a state that was close enough to complete that the studio showed it to test audiences. It wouldn’t cost $20-30 million to finish and wouldn’t take as long either.

The problem is that there’s another Suicide Squad movie in the works. HBO Max can put Zack Snyder’s Justice League out there because there’s no Justice League 2 on the horizon. But releasing David Ayer’s Suicide Squad within the next year with James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad releasing in August 2021 could lead to some brand confusion. If The Suicide Squad is successful, it could lead to sequels, which could continue to keep Ayer’s cut out of contention for release.

Ayer himself seems skeptical that his cut will ever be released. “It is simply not my call or my IP,” Ayer tweeted. “I love WB – it’s always been my’ home studio’ I fully respect and support the incredible path the DCU is taking under their stewardship. My cut of Suicide Squad may always be just a rumor. And that’s just fine.

The director did reveal some of the changes that were made to the film after principal photography wrapped. He intended for Diablo to survive the film, and for Deadshot and Harley Quinn to fall for one another. He wanted a different opening scene, one that involved June Moone and Enchantress, and included a scene of Katana turning on her teammates. There was also a scene where Joker drove Tattoo Man to suicide. Despite these changes, Ayer backed the theatrical cut off the film in the past, saying the released cut was his cut.

“This cut of the movie is my cut. There’s no sort of parallel universe version of the movie, the released movie is my cut,” Ayer said in 2017. “And that’s one of the toughest things about writing, shooting, and directing a film, is you end up with these orphans and you f—ing love them and you think they’d be amazing scenes and do these amazing things but the film is a dictatorship, not a democracy, and just because something’s cool and charismatic doesn’t mean it gets to survive in the final cut. The flow of the movie is the highest master.”