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The DC Extended Universe has had a unique run in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. Some of the franchise's earliest entires failed to resonate with audiences and critics alike, including David Ayer's Suicide Squad. The filmmaker has been open about how studio interference altered his vision for the villain-centric blockbuster, leading some fans to campaign for HBO Max to #ReleaseTheAyerCut as they're doing with Zack Snyder's Justice League. And it turns out that those rumors actually convinced one of the cast members.
Actress Karen Fukuhara played the deadly Katana in Suicide Squad. She was a badass presence, but didn't speak much, with David Ayer recently revealing she had a big scene in the final battle that ended up on the cutting room floor. And when calls for the Ayer Cut went viral, Fukuhara (briefly) thought that it could become a reality. As the actress recently revealed,
I’ve also seen that circulate around and I even posted one of the fan posters for it [The Ayer Cut]. It looked really legit, I thought it was real for a second and I went on Google to make sure that it wasn’t out yet! I always support more Katana because I love her, but I personally have never seen The Ayer Cut before at all, so I don’t know what it would have been like. Obviously, the original script was a little bit different. It’s hard to say because we all worked so hard on the movie and we had such a fun time filming it. Maybe it should be left untouched, but at the same time I’m intrigued. So, I don’t know, it’s both sides of the coin I guess.
It looks like Karen Fukuhara joins the rest of the cast and crew in expressing how much fun making Suicide Squad was. But unfortunately a ton of footage was left on the cutting room floor, as the studio pushed for more comedy and a Deadpool-esque tone. Katana was one of many characters to suffer as a result, although there's none quite as bad as Jared Leto's Joker.
Suicide Squad is currently streaming on HBO Max, which will also be the home of the Snyder Cut. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Karen Fukuhara's comments to Radio Times shows the true power of viral fandom, and a good fan poster. Because while she was in the cast of Suicide Squad, she was still thrilled at the rumors campaign for the Ayer Cut. And while there's no indication that HBO Max or Warner Bros. are interested in green lighting a second director's cut, there's clearly interest behind that possibility.
It should be interesting to see exactly how popular The Snyder Cut is for HBO Max, and how if release results in more subscriptions and downloads. After all, Zack Snyder is being given a budget of upwards $30 million for the visual effects and editing necessary to complete the project. And while Hamilton resulted in a boom in downloads for Disney+, only time will tell if the new Justice League does the same. If so, maybe those calls for the Ayer Cut could actually become a reality.
The next installment in the DCEU is Wonder Woman 1984 on October 2nd, and the Snyder Cut will arrive sometime in 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
