Since the release of the maligned DCEU film Suicide Squad in 2016, director David Ayer has been campaigning for Warner Bros. to release his cut of the film, similar to the infamous "Snyder Cut" fan campaign of Justice League.
He claimed that the theatrical cut wasn't the original vision that he had for the film as several scenes were left on the cutting room floor and reshoots were mandated by the studio during post-production.
Unlike the Snyder Cut, which eventually got released on HBO Max, Warner Bros. has no plans to release the "Ayer Cut" of Suicide Squad, but the director and fans continued to campaign and hoped it would see the light of day.
However, recently, Ayer posted on X that he is officially "done with DC" and has given up the fight for the release of his cut of the film, ending his years-long campaign.
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David Ayer Is Hoping for 'Last Rites' Screening of the Suicide Squad Ayer Cut
Speaking with Variety, David Ayer reflected on his campaign for the release of his cut of Suicide Squad and his decision to end the crusade after many years of online campaigning.
"That’s been the toughest part of my career. I made a great movie. I made an amazing film. I’ll go on record. Anyone wants to dispute that: Come look me in the eye," he said.
"To have something I put so much love and so much heart into get taken away, reengineered… you know that Eric Andre meme where he shoots the guy and says, ‘Why’d you do that?’ That’s been like Suicide Squad. ‘Why’d you do that?’ I didn’t."
When asked whether he is interested in seeing a one-off final screening, Ayer supported the idea as it would help him get some closure.
"I would love a ‘last rites’ screening. A funeral screening, you know, even just bringing the cast and crew together to show them what they actually made. That that would be fair for everyone," he said.
A potential private "funeral screening" is an interesting idea since it won't require the studio to spend more money and market it like what they did with the Snyder Cut on HBO Max three years ago.
While fans might not be able to watch it if they decide to move forward with the idea, at the very least, a group of people will be able to see what Ayer originally envisioned for the film, and he might get some sort of closure after years of campaign.
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