Suicide Squad director David Ayer spoke at length about his experience working on the DC Universe film, labeling it his biggest tragedy.
Speaking on the Real Ones With Jon Bernthal podcast, the filmmaker looked back over his career and highlighted Suicide Squad as the one project that shattered him. “The big one is Suicide Squad. That shit broke me. That handed me my ass,” Ayer said. “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, right?” Ayer goes on to lament the impact the Marvel movie had on his creation, noting that Warner Bros. sought to pivot to capture the humor that made Wade Wilson so popular.
“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 fucking comedy now,'” the director elaborated.
Suicide Squad Disappoints
Upon Suicide Squad’s release in 2016, the film was widely regarded as the worst installment yet in the then-burgeoning DC Extended Universe. Ayers has remained steadfast in his claims that the studio tampered with his movie and fundamentally changed the story, insisting that his original version was a stronger experience overall. He has gone on record to state that a director’s cut of Suicide Squad could one day be released that could address all the issues that plagued fans and critics. The director has even stated that he’s met with current DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn about potentially releasing the so-called “Ayer Cut,” insisting that there’s a chance it could still see the light of day.
Suicide Squad is available to stream on Max.
