Suicide Squad Was Supposed to Set Up Two-Part Justice League Saga

To say that the DC Extended Universe has had a rough go of things would be a bit of an understatement, but with HBO Max confirming that they would be releasing Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Suicide Squad director David Ayer has opened up about the plans he originally had for the film, confirming that it was originally developed to set the stage for a two-part Justice League saga. The filmmaker didn’t reveal the details of how his film was altered after the decision was made to only develop one Justice League film, but this is one of many reveals about how different those planned, intertwined narratives changed from their inception to actual release.

“We synced up storylines – Squad was the on-ramp for JL – which was a much more ambitious two-part movie arc with impressive scope,” Ayer shared with a fan on Twitter when asking about the film. “Squad was the appetizer for Zack’s epic. ‘Best laid plans’ as they say.”

Beginning with Man of Steel in 2013, Zack Snyder was tapped to serve as the architect of the overall DCEU, setting the tone of the franchise and collaborating with filmmakers on various projects as the series made its way towards the two-part Justice League. That plan was instead condensed into being just one story, with the success of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014 reportedly altering how Suicide Squad was being developed, hoping to mirror that film’s whimsy and sense of humor.

Suicide Squad‘s ultimate release was a major financial success, but it was largely panned by critics. In the years since release, Ayer has discussed how the film had evolved over the years, as Snyder left Justice League before production had wrapped and the filmmaker largely distanced himself from what landed in theaters.

In the years since Justice League‘s release, fans have been clamoring for the release of the “Snyder Cut” of the film, which the filmmaker was reportedly screening for his close friends. Despite Warner Bros. executives regularly expressing how unlikely it would be for the project to earn a release, it was announced earlier this month that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be coming to HBO Max in 2021, with reports claiming that completing the film could take as much as $30 million.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of the DCEU.

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