Article by Adam Poncharoensub
It seems that since the #SnyderCut movement proved successful, Suicide Squad director David Ayer wants in on that action. After several years of public outcry and fan petition, AT&T and WB have decided to release Zack Snyder’s Justice League, allowing the director to realize his vision for JL. The theatrical version currently resides in Hollywood legend for studio interference which created a Frankensteined vision of two different directors. SS suffered a similar fate, as it was meddled with by studio execs. Since the big announcement, Ayer seems to be revving up his own campaign for the #AyerCut of SS. And he’s not being subtle either, outwardly telling people to beseech the powers that be. Well, yesterday, he received a bit more ammunition when Zack Snyder revealed he loved Jared Leto’s Joker.
It’s interesting that something like this would come up now. Back in the beginning of June, Ayer took to Twitter to defend Jared Leto‘s derided take as the Joker. Ayer claimed that nobody has seen Leto’s performance as the theatrical cut was heavily edited, removing most of it. At the time, he hadn’t yet started campaigning for the #AyerCut. This made it a more subtle nod towards footage that fans never got a chance to see. In the timeline of events, this is an important point considering Zack Snyder’s comments yesterday. In a round of Q&A on Vero, someone asked his opinion on Jared Leto’s Joker. Snyder revealed that he’s “always loved” Jared Leto’s Joker.
Somebody loved Jared Leto’s Joker
Check out the screencap below:
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) July 4, 2020
Someone posted the interaction to Twitter, tagged Ayer, who then retweeted it with emojis. I don’t speak emoji very well, so take my interpretation with a grain of salt. I see a sad face followed what I always assumed was prayer hands. In my experience, prayer hands has always meant gratitude, but in this context, I’m inclined to believe that it’s also a plea for the #AyerCut. It may be indirect, but it’s momentum nonetheless. Snyder has sort of backed Jared Leto’s Joker, providing support for Ayer’s point and indirectly, the movement. Considering Snyder’s role in all of this recently, I think his opinion has weight.
I mean, anything positive is going to help Ayer’s cause, right? Personally, I didn’t really enjoy Leto’s take as the Joker, though considering the actor’s physique, he seemed the perfect fit. Marketing material made him out to be fairly unsettling, which I was happy about. Then, the movie was released and for me he easily ranked as the worst live-action version of the Joker. I didn’t hate him, but he wasn’t very good either.
Not enough reason
Do I think an #AyerCut is probable? No, I don’t. The #SnyderCut movement had been so strong almost from the beginning that it quickly rose to mythic proportions. JL was supposed to be DC’s endgame as Avengers was for Marvel. We were supposed to see all the pieces culminate for a JL that Snyder had planned since BvS. Sadly, because of internal affairs, that story was scrapped and fans have been pleading to see it ever since. SS was already cut in a way to help support that story, so there’s not a whole lot to add an overarching plot that fans were desperate to see.
In the end, aside from seeing a different movie, and a means for Ayer to realize his vision, there doesn’t seem to be much reason for fans to get behind it compared to the #SnyderCut, and without fan support, it likely won’t take off. As my colleague Chris Foti has also pointed out, SS was a financial success, so WB doesn’t really have an incentive to revisit it.
What do you think? Do you like Jared Leto’s Joker? Do you think there’s enough reason for an #AyerCut? Let me know.
Stay tuned to DKN for ongoing coverage of the #AyerCut movement.