David Ayer has a new movie to promote, The Beekeeper, and with that comes the inevitable topic of his mythical director’s cut for Suicide Squad a.k.a. the Ayer Cut. Unlike Zack Snyder, who was able to talk Warner Bros. into releasing his Justice League “Snyder Cut” in 2021, Ayer was unable to secure the same treatment despite a similar social media campaign at the time.
Since then, Ayer has continued to revisit the topic in hopes that one day DC Comics fans will see his original version of the film, which was infamously re-edited by Warner Bros. at the last minute in a blatant attempt to ape the success of Guadians of the Galaxy. However, in a new interview, Ayer took things to the next level by touting his Suicide Squad cut as one of the all-time great superhero films.
The thing that’s been difficult for me is that I made a great film. I made a great film. The people who have seen my cut have pretty much unanimously said that it’s one of the best comic book movies ever made. If someone who’s seen the cut wants to dispute that, then they can come talk to me. I was pilloried, pilloried, in the media again and again over it, and then pilloried again and again in the press launch of subsequent IPs, but I kept my mouth shut for years. I learned that nature abhors a vacuum, and if you don’t tell your story, then somebody else will.
Despite once again revisiting the topic, Ayer now claims he’s ready to move on and has given up hope of his cut seeing the light of day.
“I can take the hint. It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill,” Ayer said. “There are great places and great partners out there to work with, and I just want to focus on being a great partner and making some good movies.”
The Beekeeper opens in theaters on January 12, 2024.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)