Suicide Squad’s very own Joker wants to see the Ayer Cut, as Jared Leto supports the release of the director’s cut of the film. During an interview with Variety, Jared Leto said he thinks it’s time Warner Bros. released the Ayer Cut – an unreleased version of the Suicide Squad by director David Ayer.
“Absolutely! Why not?” he said. “Why wouldn’t they? Why wouldn’t they? I mean, that’s what streaming’s for, right?”
Despite not wanting to speak publicly about the Ayer Cut anymore, director David Ayer agreed with Leto’s comments.
“Exactly what streaming is for,” he said via Twitter. “If you own IP and you have a mandate to monetize it from your shareholders that’s exactly what you do.”
Exactly what streaming is for. If you own IP and you have a mandate to monetize it from your shareholders that’s exactly what you do 💁🏻♂️ @ATT https://t.co/4NRC4oF1Di
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) November 19, 2021
Ayer first began discussing his cut of Suicide Squad around the same time that DC fans began campaigning for the Snyder Cut – Zack Snyder’s extended version of Justice League. But despite Warner Bros. releasing Snyder’s cut as an HBO exclusive, they revealed they have no such plans for David Ayer’s Suicide Squad.
“We won’t be developing David Ayer’s cut,” said Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff.
Ayer previously expressed frustration at the way his original movie was reshaped, stating that it was supposed to be a “heartfelt drama”.
"I get it, it's a business,” he said. “It's frustrating because I made a really heartfelt drama and it got ripped to pieces and they tried to turn it into Deadpool, which it just wasn't supposed to be. And then you take the hit, you're the captain of the ship, my name was on it.”
“Even though it didn't represent what I actually made, I would take all the bullets and be a good soldier,” he added. “I made an amazing movie. It's an amazing movie, it just scared the shit out of the executives.”
Whether or not the Ayer Cut will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. But with Jared Leto backing its release, it’s certainly gaining some high-profile support.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.