Article by Carl Bryan
Editing Room Floor Antics
Fans are demanding that Warner Bros. “release the Ayer cut” of Suicide Squad, a reference to an extended director’s cut that was apparently screened for executives, and test audiences, before being cut down to the theatrical version released in 2016.
There have long been rumors of an “Ayer Cut”, including one that’s supposedly much closer to completion than Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Following a years-long, successful campaign to convince AT&T and Warner Bros. to release Snyder’s cut of Justice League, DC Films fans now have turned their attention to the Ayer Cut (as well as a rumored “Schumacher Cut” of Batman Forever)..
Now, Ayer has confirmed something fans have suspected for a while: the “Ayer Cut” of Suicide Squad does – kinda-sorta. The film’s novelization, apparently, is the closest fans will get, at least for now, to a completed version for Ayer’s vision for the film.
Close, But No Cigar
The novelization of Suicide Squad was written by Crisis on Infinite Earths scribe Marv Wolfman, who also adapted Superman Returns. Some fans have tried reaching out to him on social media about the book, but Wolfman’s rarely on Twitter, so it’s unlikely that he’d respond.
So… Much… Footage…
Asked on Twitter whether the novelization is “the closest thing to your original cut of the film?,” Ayer answered simply “yes.” You can see the exchange below.
More Joker…?
In the years since the film’s theatrical release, there have been plenty of clues as to what could be in Ayer’s longer cut. More Joker and Harley (although not so much more that it could be its own separate movie, as Jared Leto had once said); more Katana; and a different opening sequence
What’s in Canon?
As for the novelization itself, Wolfman’s version of the story is told in a much more linear fashion, cutting back and forth between moments less. That could be something Ayer had originally planned, or it might be a necessity in adapting a complicated story with a lot of characters to a new, non-visual format. It also had more character development for most of the characters, including the story of how June and Rick Flag ended up together.
Thoughts
Ice Cube recently weighed in on Batman Forever, so feel free to weigh in in our comment sections? Are these “redos” a cash grab at the box office, or a legitimate way to “get it right” based on the comics?
Images May Be Subject To Copyright