Suicide Squad David Ayer Says It Would Be "Incredibly Cathartic" To Release His Version

While Justice League has become notorious over the past few years for being drastically reshot and reedited before it hit theaters, it wasn't the only DC film to suffer similar treatment. Suicide Squad was also reworked prior to its release in 2016. Now, following the news that Zack Snyder's Justice League will be released on HBO Max, Suicide Squad director David Ayer has said he would love to see his original cut released as well.

Ayer responded to a tweet from Collider's Steven Weintraub, who had stated that "the version of Suicide Squad that we've all seen was not the movie David Ayer wanted to release," and argued that DC fans would love to see Ayers version on HBO Max. Ayer replied by saying that it would be "incredibly cathartic" to finally release his version, and that--unlike Justice League--it would be easy to complete it. Check the tweet out below:

Soon after Suicide Squad was released, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the film's rushed production led to Warner testing two separate cuts of the movie--one being Ayer's "more sombre" version, and the other a lighter, more comedic cut that the studio favored. When audiences responded well to the lighter version, the movie underwent reshoots to increase those elements. Unlike Justice League however, Suicide Squad was a box office hit, so there has been little demand to see Ayer's version until now.

One reason we might not see Ayer's Suicide Squad on HBO Max any time soon is that there's a reboot, titled The Suicide Squad, on the way. The movie is directed by James Gunn and reunites some of the first movie's cast--including Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, and Joel Kinnaman--with new stars, such as Idris Elba, John Cena, Nathan Fillion, and Peter Capaldi. It releases in August 2021.

The announcement that Zack Snyder's version of Justice League will be released on HBO Max in 2021 was made last week. But while Ayer's Suicide Squad was complete enough to test screen it with an audience, Snyder has stated that the new Justice League would be an "entirely new thing" to his initial rough cut. Snyder left the production of Justice League because of a family tragedy, and the movie was finished by Joss Whedon.

For more HBO Max news, check out GameSpot's look at every original show available on launch day, and our guide to the difference HBO Max, HBO Now, and HBO Go.