After Will Smith seemed to confirm the original cut of 2016’s Suicide Squad was vastly different than the theatrical release and something he would love to see, DC fans once again rallied to release the original vision of director David Ayer.
Though the film, which saw Smith as Deadshot in the lead role, was a commercial success, it was critically maligned upon its release. However, Ayer has long claimed that his version of the movie was much better before it was meddled with by the higher-ups at Warner Bros.
“There’s a whole lot that stayed on the floor, so I’m into it,” the actor said during a red carpet interview with Variety. “I’d love to see it. I love that world. I love what was created in both versions. Absolutely would love to.”
Shortly following the new Smith interview, fans once again took to Twitter to demand WB to “release the Ayer cut.”
One writer on Twitter noted, “We can have movies from both [David Ayer] and [The Suicide Squad director James Gunn] and the world will be richer for it. There’s room for all of it.”
Another fan pointed out how, now that Smith has snagged an Oscar Nomination for King Richard, another WB project, they practically owe him the Ayer cut at this point.
Another Twitter user was reveling in both Zack Snyder and Ayer — two DC directors who had their films drastically reworked by the studio — trending simultaneously.
A lot of people were thanking Variety editor Marc Malkin for bringing up the question to Smith in the first place.
Another Twitter user remarked that while we may not get the Ayer cut, it’s certainly something the fandom deserves, in their view.
It’s unclear what the possible fate of the so-called Ayer cut will be. But considering the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League last year, which similarly was a version of the film demanded to be released by DC fans, anything seems possible.
2016’s Suicide Squad and its sequel, 2021’s The Suicide Squad, are both available on HBO Max now.