David Ayer’s Hollywood career has been nothing short of remarkable. From penning the screenplay for Denzel Washington’s Training Day to helming the hard-hitting war epic Fury, Ayer stands tall among a select group that has managed to stay relevant in the turbulent film industry. That being said, his path has been far from smooth, particularly when it came to DC’s Suicide Squad.
During an episode of the Real Ones podcast with actor Jon Bernthal, Ayer opened up about his heartbreaking experience directing Suicide Squad – which has recently been at the center of a fan campaign to have re-cut and rereleased – saying:
Hollywood — I tell people — is like watching someone you love get f**ked by someone you hate. The big one is ‘Suicide Squad.’ That sh*t broke me. That handed me my ass.
Anyone who follows Ayer on Twitter is well aware of his consistent assertions regarding the responsibility Warner Bros. Pictures bears for the film’s outcome. After the unfavorable reception of Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. Pictures chose to alter Ayer’s original vision for Suicide Squad.
Come right off Fury, right? I had the town in my hand, could’ve done anything, and I did do anything, and [I] go on this journey with [Suicide Squad]. And the same thing — authentic, truthful, let’s do all the rehearsal, let’s really get in each other’s souls. Let’s create this amazing, collaborative thing, right? And then Deadpool opened… and they never tested Batman v Superman so they were expecting a different result, and then they got hammered by all the critics. Then it’s like, ‘Okay, we’re going to turn David Ayer’s dark, soulful movie into a f**king comedy now.’
We can understand Ayer’s sentiments given how the aforementioned events unfolded. Back in February 2016, Deadpool made its premiere to great acclaim, earning an incredible $782 million despite its modest $58 million production budget.
Seeing this, Warner Bros. must have expected Batman v Superman to gross at least $1 billion upon release a month later, but that was not the case, as it amassed $873 million, and unlike Deadpool, it faced widespread criticism throughout its theatrical run.
Thankfully, the director’s cut of Suicide Squad appears to have stirred up significant excitement among fans online. Ayer himself has teased that DC Studios’ CEO, James Gunn, has plans to eventually bring the film to the audience, stating:
All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it’s time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects.
Even amidst the barrage of criticisms aimed at Suicide Squad, the film successfully pulled in $747 million, a remarkable feat considering its $175 million production budget. Furthermore, it secured an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
While the director’s cut might not replicate those massive earnings or secure any accolades, it certainly holds the potential to have a better outing than its predecessor.
