With the DC Universe franchise having launched a few months back with Creature Commandos and set to deliver its first theatrical movie in the form of James Gunn’s Superman this summer, it’s easy to forget that less than a decade ago, the DCEU was also in its relative infancy. Following Man of Steel’s 2013 release, 2016 delivered Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. However, much like Justice League in 2017, the theatrical version of Suicide Squad did not represent director David Ayer’s true vision, and he’s been pushing for the release of the “Ayer Cut” ever since. However, he’s also now acknowledged that Gunn’s reasoning for holding off on doing so makes sense.
While discussing A Working Man, his contribution to the 2025 movies schedule that opens in theaters this weekend, Ayer was asked by THR if it’s “all still quiet” from Warner Bros. Discovery regarding possibility of Suicide Squad’s Ayer Cut seeing the light of day. The filmmaker confirmed that is indeed still the case, saying:
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.
In addition to his writing and/or directorial duties on Superman, Creature Commandos (which is coming back for a second season) and Peacemaker Season 2, which hits the 2025 TV schedule this August, James Gunn is also co-running DC Studios with Peter Safran. So he’ll be the one to make the call if the Ayer Cut is ever released, and to be fair, it sounds like he’s amenable to the idea rather than just shooting it down. It’s certainly a more optimistic position compared to when David Ayer said in January 2024 that he was done fighting for his original version of Suicide Squad.
All that being said, like David Ayer, I understand where James Gunn is coming from. The DC Universe has only just begun, and it needs time to find its full footing with the various upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows officially slated. Ayer continued:
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.
This reminds me of how it’s been 30 years since Batman Forever came out, and there’s still interest in the “Schumacher Cut” of Val Kilmer’s lone outing in the cape and cowl. Alas, no progress as been made on making that release happen, and it remains to be seen if the Ayer Cut will fare any better. Still, considering that Zack Snyder’s Justice League was eventually made available to stream with a Max subscription and released on home media, I maintain that the Suicide Squad David Ayer originally made for theatrical consumption should be afforded the same opportunity.
So maybe as we move further away from the shelving of the DCEU, releasing the Ayer Cut can provide that nostalgia that the director mentioned. Until then, it sounds like Ayer is looking forward to what the DCU has coming up, which also includes movies like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface, and shows like Lanterns and Paradise Lost.
