Suicide Squad “broke” director: “That handed me my ass”

Suicide Squad director David Ayer has reflected on how the redevelopment of his original “dark, soulful” movie “broke” him.

The trajectory of Suicide Squad’s tone is fascinating. The first trailer for the 2016 DC team-up film leaked out of Comic-Con, leading Warner Bros. to release it online in higher quality.

The response was emphatically positive, with fans all around the world hyped for the gritty, intense story Ayer and co. had in store. Alarm bells should have been ringing with the next trailer, an uptempo promo scored to Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’

Barring its near-$750m gross, the eventual movie was a disaster; a hodge-podge of hard-boiled villains and a light, zesty tone with a jukebox soundtrack. It’s no surprise that it handed Ayer “his ass.”

Suicide Squad director says movie “broke him”

Ayer has spoken at length about his woes with Suicide Squad. His latest comments come via his recent appearance on Jon Bernthal’s Real Ones Podcast, where the host asked the director about his “biggest heartbreak” in the film industry.

“Hollywood – I tell people – is like watching someone you love get f*cked by someone you hate,” he said.

“The big one is Suicide Squad. That sh*t broke me. That handed me my ass. 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? 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*cking comedy now.'”

Ayer has also lobbied for the release of his cut of the movie, which is said to have significant differences, including but not limited to the first 40 minutes being “ripped to pieces”, several other scenes with Jared Leto’s Joker, and unheard tracks from the original score.

Earlier this month, Ayer tweeted that James Gunn told him his version will be released at some point in the future, but we don’t have any date or confirmation from Gunn.

Both Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad can be streamed on Max now. Check out our other upcoming DC hubs below:

The Batman Part II | Joker 2 | Superman: Legacy | The Brave and the Bold | The Sandman Season 2