Warner Bros. Tried To Turn Suicide Squad Into Deadpool, Claims David Ayer

Zack Snyder's Justice League is currently the main headliner when it comes to DC projects, especially after the film's impressive performance on HBO Max. The successful result of the Snyder Cut naturally raised the question of whether or not David Ayer's original vision for Suicide Squad will ever see the light of day. 

Now that the Snyder Cut-infused smoke has been cleared, the attention shifted to the potential of an Ayer Cut. Similar to the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, supporters of the director created a new hashtag in the form #ReleaseTheAyerCut to let Warner Bros. know that there are still fans who want to watch the original version.

So far, the grassroots campaign for the film had its fair share of ups and downs, but it was evident that Ayer is very supportive of the movement. Now, the director once again opened up about his version of Suicide Squad in an interview. 

A DEADPOOL-INSPIRED SUICIDE SQUAD FILM

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Suicide Squad director David Ayer recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about his oft-discussed director's cut of the 2016 film. 

After the success of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Ayer was asked if this phenomenon will become a trend, citing the fact that his original version of Suicide Squad is still out there.

The director pointed out that fans “just want to spend more time” with the characters while also admitting that there is room for “different things, different versions, different assets” for these projects: 

"I think the studios see now that there can be canon, there can be non-canon, the fans just want to touch it. They love the characters, they just want to spend more time with it. And people are way more sophisticated about how movies are made and want to be participants in the journey. There's room for different things, different versions, different assets being shared with the audience. I think it just helps strengthen the community. But absolute credit to Warner Bros. for supporting Zack and having the courage to explore that."

While recalling the bad reviews of his Suicide Squad back in 2017, Ayer couldn't help but show frustration about the whole ordeal. The veteran director shared that Warner Bros. tried to turn his film “into [Fox's] Deadpool,” with him even admitting that he had to “take all the bullets and be a good soldier” then: 

“I get it, it's a business. It's frustrating because I made a really heartfelt drama, and it got ripped to pieces, and they tried to turn it into Deadpool, which it just wasn't supposed to be. And then you take the hit, you're the captain of the ship, my name was on it. [Laughs] Even though it didn't represent what I actually made, I would take all the bullets and be a good soldier.”

Ultimately, amid all the chaos, Ayer believed that he made an “amazing movie” while also sharing that it just “scared the s--- out of the executives:”

"I made an amazing movie. It's an amazing movie, it just scared the s--- out of the executives."

DAVID AYER STILL BELIEVES IN HIS DIRECTOR'S CUT

Based on Ayer's statements, it's clear that the director hasn't given up hope about the potential release of his original vision for Suicide Squad. In a way, this particular reaction shouldn't be surprising, especially after Snyder's moment of triumph with his own cut. 

Not much is known about Ayer needing to reshoot or add more scenes to his film, but it looks like it will all depend on the final decision from Warner Bros. WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff previously shared that the studio “won't be developing” the famed director's cut, but the same was true for the Snyder Cut in years past. That said, with the right push, it's possible that the studio will reconsider down the line. 

The production run for Suicide Squad was well-documented after it was released in 2016, but Ayer's latest comment about the studio wanting to turn it into Fox's Deadpool adds another layer of intrigue. The main reason behind this push could allude to the success of the Merc with a Mouth's Marvel project, and this essentially derailed the director's plan of infusing story beats that would've resulted in a “heartfelt drama.”

It seems that Warner Bros. really wanted to compete with Marvel by showcasing similar thematic elements into the film, thus forcing directors like Ayer, and even Joss Whedon, to reimagine their projects to fit the studio's vision. 

Still, the fact that Ayer believes that his version is an “amazing movie” should bolster the efforts of his supporters to continue the good fight to eventually earn the green light from the studio.