Suicide Squad Director David Ayer Says Film Broke Him

David Ayer has been increasingly vocal in his disdain for the theatrical release of 2016’s Suicide Squad. While he said that version was his own upon release, the filmmaker has since reversed course and said his take on the movie was less convoluted, claims that have since helped launch a sizable fan campaign to get the “Ayer Cut” released. In a recent appearance on Jon Bernthal’s Real Ones podcast, Ayer made his most drastic comments yet, comparing the release of Suicide Squad to witnessing your partner make love with someone you dislike.

“Hollywood — I tell people — is like watching someone you love get f–ked by someone you hate,” Ayer said on the show. “The big one is Suicide Squad. That shit broke me. That handed me my ass.”

“Come right off Fury, right? I had the town in my hand — could’ve done anything, and I did do anything,” he added. “And [I] go on this journey with Suicide Squad. And the same thing — authentic, truthful, let’s do all the rehearsal, let’s really get in each other’s souls. Let’s create this amazing, collaborative thing, right? And then Deadpool opened, right? And they never tested Batman v. Superman, so they were expecting a different result, and then they got hammered by all the critics. Then it’s like, ‘Okay, we’re going to turn David Ayer’s dark, soulful movie into a fucking comedy now.’”

Is the Ayer Cut ever being released?

According to Ayer, he’s spoken with new DC Studios boss James Gunn about potentially releasing his take on Suicide Squad, similar to how Max released Zack Snyder’s Justice League at the height of the pandemic.

“All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release,” Ayer wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, earlier this month. “The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it’s time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects. In a way I’m chained to this thing. I’m riding a tiger here and navigating this situation the best I can. Life is a very strange journey.”

Gunn hasn’t confirmed in a public manner whether or the Suicide Squad Ayer Cut would ever see release.

Suicide Squad (2016) is now streaming on Max.