After 2016’s Suicide Squad was much reviled by fans and critics alike, rumors swirled about what happened to what was teased to be a great movie. Over the years, rumors about studio interference on the film have swirled, with many of the actors from the movie admitting they shot a lot more footage than what ended up in the theatrical cut. Director David Ayer has gone as far as to say that the studio ripped up his entire movie. This has prompted fans to champion the “Ayer Cut” of the film, as in the intended cut that the director wanted to release. Ayer added fuel to the fire recently when he released a behind-the-scenes photo from the DC film.
In a recent Twitter post, Ayer shared a close up picture of Karen Fukuhara as Katana from the film wearing the character's iconic mask. One of the major criticisms for the film was the actress’s lack of screen time, but the photo shows that Ayer probably had bigger intentions for the character's role. You can see the post below:
Masks pic.twitter.com/82Cnq0bqc5August 13, 2023
While Katana was probably in the intended Suicide Squad Ayer film a lot more than she ended up being, this can be said for many characters. Jared Leto got a lot of heat for his over-commitment to the gangster clown Joker role, but according to the Oscar winner, he was supposed to be in the film a lot more than he ended up being. Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn, has co-signed the notion, admitting a lot of what the Birds of Prey star filmed was cut.
It is unclear if fans will ever really get the Ayer Cut that they hope for. Warner Brothers already funded the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was a four hour version of the maligned 2017 Justice League that was taken over by Joss Whedon. Fan support ended up helping the release of Zack Snyder’s cut, and it’s considered to be a major improvement to the original. While precedent is there, it may create an unnecessary pattern of subsequent releases that WB doesn’t want to be bogged down by, especially as they try to reset the DCEU with a new cast. In addition, they made a different movie called The Suicide Squad in 2021 directed by James Gunn, that was very well received.
Even if fans never do get the Ayer Cut, the director’s intentions and love for the characters is clearly there. He has a great track record of critically acclaimed action films like Fury and End of Watch so hopefully he gets another stab at a DC film with some of these characters. Katana looks incredible in the image he posted, and maybe he could help a stand alone film of the character under James Gunn’s reimagined DCEU. In the meantime though, fans will continue to campaign for their beloved Ayer Cut.
You can revisit David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, which is streaming now with a Max subscription. For more information about other films within this universe planned for release, check out our upcoming DCEU movies guide.
