For almost a century, Marvel and DC have been pitted against one another. And it has carried over on the big screen as each comic book publisher has adapted their own characters to film. These days, each of the studios seem to have found their own ways to bring in audiences. Disney’s MCU thrives on its interconnected universe, whereas Warner Bros’ DC properties have found success in both standalone and R-rated features. Suicide Squad filmmaker David Ayer isn’t playing into the competition.
The writer and director behind 2016’s Suicide Squad took to Twitter to applaud Marvel Studios for its streamlined filmmaking process. Check it out:
A number of Marvel directors have opened up about the making of an MCU film and it’s not as cut and dry as your typical movie shoot. It’s an ongoing process that isn’t as simple as script, shooting and editing. The studio is constantly assessing their footage in the editing room, switching up key scenes and reshoots are not a rushed side effect of mistakes, but a routine exercise.
They are an outlier, but it seems to be working for the studio just fine. Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing movie of all time last summer after the MCU released 21 other films under its umbrella. Since the disappointment of Suicide Squad, David Ayer has been open about some conflict with Warner Bros over the finished product.
The writer/director recently said the story arc for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was "eviscerated" after he had reportedly intended to make it more of her movie. David Ayer has been attacked by fans for the end result of the DC team-up film, but has insisted that the studio meddled with his “original vision.”
A similar story can be said about Justice League when directing duties were taken over by Joss Whedon to meet the release date, when Zack Snyder suffered a personal tragedy and had to leave the production. For the two years since the bummer result of Justice League, fans have been heavily campaigning for the original director’s Snyder Cut to come to fruition.
David Ayer’s conversation about Marvel’s filmmaking process stemmed from a fan talking about how Marvel should make a Namor the Submariner movie and looping the Suicide Squad filmmaking into possibly taking on the role. Could Ayer take on a Marvel property? He is currently developing a sequel to 2017’s Netflix hit, Bright.
Coming up for DC, Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn will be taking the helm for the Suicide Squad franchise by using a blend of the characters from David Ayer’s film and a new exciting cast. The film is expected to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
