David Ayer Is Still Championing the “Ayer Cut” and James Gunn’s Reason for Holding Off Actually Makes Sense

It’s been nearly a decade since Suicide Squad hit theaters, and director David Ayer still isn’t letting go of his original vision for the film. While the DC Universe is in full reboot mode under James Gunn and Peter Safran, Ayer continues to advocate for the release of his much-discussed “Ayer Cut.” But in a recent conversation, he also showed an understanding for why it hasn’t happened yet. While promoting his new film A Working Man, Ayer was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if anything’s changed regarding Warner Bros. Discovery’s stance on the Ayer Cut. He responded: “Yeah, for sure. When I did speak with James [Gunn], he wanted to [first] get some scores on the board. DC has its history and its legacy, and it’s taking some work to reestablish that IP and get it moving in the direction they want. So it’s absolutely fair for them to do that.”That’s a big shift from earlier this year when Ayer seemed ready to let it go altogether. Now, with the DCU finding its footing, starting with Creature Commandos and Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot, there’s a sense that Ayer is playing the long game.Gunn has a lot on his plate right now with Superman, Peacemaker Season 2, and more Creature Commandos. He’s also working on a project that hasn’t been announced yet. But, Gunn isn’t shutting down the idea of the Ayer Cut entirely, he just has other priorities right now. This is something that Ayer respects. He shared: “Yeah, maybe with enough time, it’ll be seen as a more nostalgic thing. But just for the sake of everybody that worked on [2016’s Suicide Squad], it really does deserve to be seen. “I am incredibly proud of the work I did there. But at the same time, it’s not my IP, and it’s not my studio. So I absolutely understand what James is doing, and I think he’s going to have some real successes with the lanes he’s going down.”When Ayer was previously asked about his biggest Hollywood heartbreak, he explained that Suicide Squad broke him: “Hollywood — I tell people — is like watching someone you love get fked by someone you hate. The big one is Suicide Squad. That shit broke me. That handed me my ass.”Every time he talks about this experience he always explains how the studio screwed him over. This is what he says about how everything fell apart for the movie: “Come right off Fury, right? I had the town in my hand — could’ve done anything, and I did do anything, 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 fking comedy now.’”When previously talking about his original cut of the film, the director said: “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic.”He also said of the film: “That’s been the toughest part of my career. I made a great movie. I made an amazing film. I’ll go on record. Anyone wants to dispute that: Come look me in the eye. “To have something I put so much love and so much heart into get taken away, reengineered… you know that Eric Andre meme where he shoots the guy and says, ‘Why’d you do that?’ That’s been like Suicide Squad. ‘Why’d you do that?’ I didn’t.”He went on to talk about the criticisms he’s received for the film, saying: “Every time a new movie comes out in that space it starts up again. I get attacked for something that I didn’t do. “It’s pretty unjust, and at the end of the day, at this point, I get it, it’s corporate America. It’s corporate IP. You know these are multi-billion dollar companies, but I think ripping the guts out of a filmmaker like that is is pretty unfair.”When asked about the possibility of a one-off screening, Ayer said: “I would love a ‘last rites’ screening. A funeral screening, you know, even just bringing the cast and crew together to show them what they actually made. That that would be fair for everyone.”In the meantime, Ayer seems genuinely curious to see where Gunn and Safran take the universe next. With Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Clayface, Lanterns, and Paradise Lost all in development, there’s plenty for DC fans to look forward to.

Mar 26, 2025 - 17:20

David Ayer Is Still Championing the “Ayer Cut” and James Gunn’s Reason for Holding Off Actually Makes Sense

It’s been nearly a decade since Suicide Squad hit theaters, and director David Ayer still isn’t letting go of his original vision for the film. While the DC Universe is in full reboot mode under James Gunn and Peter Safran, Ayer continues to advocate for the release of his much-discussed “Ayer Cut.”

But in a recent conversation, he also showed an understanding for why it hasn’t happened yet. While promoting his new film A Working Man, Ayer was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if anything’s changed regarding Warner Bros. Discovery’s stance on the Ayer Cut.

He responded: “Yeah, for sure. When I did speak with James [Gunn], he wanted to [first] get some scores on the board. DC has its history and its legacy, and it’s taking some work to reestablish that IP and get it moving in the direction they want. So it’s absolutely fair for them to do that.”

That’s a big shift from earlier this year when Ayer seemed ready to let it go altogether. Now, with the DCU finding its footing, starting with Creature Commandos and Gunn’s upcoming Superman reboot, there’s a sense that Ayer is playing the long game.

Gunn has a lot on his plate right now with Superman, Peacemaker Season 2, and more Creature Commandos. He’s also working on a project that hasn’t been announced yet. But, Gunn isn’t shutting down the idea of the Ayer Cut entirely, he just has other priorities right now.

This is something that Ayer respects. He shared: “Yeah, maybe with enough time, it’ll be seen as a more nostalgic thing. But just for the sake of everybody that worked on [2016’s Suicide Squad], it really does deserve to be seen.

“I am incredibly proud of the work I did there. But at the same time, it’s not my IP, and it’s not my studio. So I absolutely understand what James is doing, and I think he’s going to have some real successes with the lanes he’s going down.”

When Ayer was previously asked about his biggest Hollywood heartbreak, he explained that Suicide Squad broke him: “Hollywood — I tell people — is like watching someone you love get f**ked by someone you hate. The big one is Suicide Squad. That shit broke me. That handed me my ass.”

Every time he talks about this experience he always explains how the studio screwed him over. This is what he says about how everything fell apart for the movie:

“Come right off Fury, right? I had the town in my hand — could’ve done anything, and I did do anything, 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 f**king comedy now.’”

When previously talking about his original cut of the film, the director said: “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic.”

He also said of the film: “That’s been the toughest part of my career. I made a great movie. I made an amazing film. I’ll go on record. Anyone wants to dispute that: Come look me in the eye.

“To have something I put so much love and so much heart into get taken away, reengineered… you know that Eric Andre meme where he shoots the guy and says, ‘Why’d you do that?’ That’s been like Suicide Squad. ‘Why’d you do that?’ I didn’t.”

He went on to talk about the criticisms he’s received for the film, saying: “Every time a new movie comes out in that space it starts up again. I get attacked for something that I didn’t do.

“It’s pretty unjust, and at the end of the day, at this point, I get it, it’s corporate America. It’s corporate IP. You know these are multi-billion dollar companies, but I think ripping the guts out of a filmmaker like that is is pretty unfair.”

When asked about the possibility of a one-off screening, Ayer said: “I would love a ‘last rites’ screening. A funeral screening, you know, even just bringing the cast and crew together to show them what they actually made. That that would be fair for everyone.”

In the meantime, Ayer seems genuinely curious to see where Gunn and Safran take the universe next. With Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Clayface, Lanterns, and Paradise Lost all in development, there’s plenty for DC fans to look forward to.