While Suicide Squad’s home release included an extended cut that was slightly longer than what was shown in theaters, we’ve since learned that just like with Justice League, the first theatrical movie starred Task Force X was originally supposed to be a much different beast. As such, now that the Snyder Cut, officially known as Zack Snyder’s Justice League, is headed to HBO Max, there’s been renewed talk about if the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad could also see the light of day.
Not only is Suicide Squad director David Ayer game for his original cut being made available to the masses, he wants fans to campaign to make it happen. Here’s what the filmmaker recently had to say when asked if the Ayer Cut truly exists:
Judging by a quick scan on Twitter, it doesn’t look like David Ayer has to worry about a lack of campaigning for the Ayer Cut. With the Snyder Cut coming out in early to mid-2021 and HBO Max spending upwards of $30 million to put it together, that means Suicide Squad could find itself receiving similar treatment.
That said, it’s possible the streaming service, and by extension AT&T, will wait to see how the Snyder Cut performs before making any decision on Suicide Squad’s Ayer Cut. Ayer has said before how this matter is out of his hands, but should it get the green light, it would be easy to complete, not to mention be “incredibly cathartic” for him that people would finally get to see the movie he originally put together.
In any case, just like how the Snyder Cut of Justice League will unfold quite differently than what was shown in theaters in late 2017, there are plenty of differences between the theatrical Suicide Squad released in the summer of 2016 and the Ayer Cut. For one thing, Ayer has the original cut was tonally darker, having drawn inspiration from fellow director Christopher Nolan.
Other ways the Ayer Cut will stand out from the Suicide Squad that’s been out for the past four years include Enchantress’ plans connecting to the Justice League villain Steppenwolf, a possessed Katana fighting the rest of the Squad, Harley Quinn being entangled in a love triangle, Diablo surviving to the end of the story and a lot more screen time for Jared Leto’s Joker. So yeah, that’d be a lot to chew on.
At the very least, one would imagine the Ayer Cut would earn a better critical reception than the Suicide Squad shown on the big screen, which ranks at 27% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, that version of the movie was a commercial hit, taking home over $746 million worldwide, and it also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
For now, the theatrical version of Suicide Squad will be sticking around HBO Max until December, and whether or not the Ayer Cut ever comes out, Task Force X is returning to the big screen soon. James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is bringing back Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney’s Captain Coomerang, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, as well as introducing a wide array of new characters, including David Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher and Steve Agee’s King Shark.
The Suicide Squad charges into theaters on August 6, 2021, and you can learn what other DC movies are coming down the creative pipeline with our comprehensive guide.
