'Suicide Squad' Director David Ayer Laments How the Film Turned Out

While 2016's 'Suicide Squad' was a commercial success, the comic book movie was plagued by negative reviews.

David Ayer
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Image via Getty/Charley Gallay

David Ayer

While 2016's Suicide Squad was a commercial success, the comic book movie was plagued by negative reviews. Director David Ayer has made it no secret the Suicide Squad that made it to theaters wasn't the film he intended to make, and has previously placed the blame for the end product on studio meddling. In a new post on his Instagram, Ayer has shared a photo from what appears to be a deleted scene, once again lamenting how he was unable to make the Suicide Squad he wanted to.

"Movies are fragile. They are like dreams, haunting moments that run from your vision. They have their own logic and truth," the Bright director and Training Day scribe wrote alongside the photo. "If you change the destination after the trip is complete is it still the same journey? The spine of Suicide Squad was Harley’s journey. In many ways it was her movie, her escaping her relationship with Joker was the major emotional through line. A director holds an invisible compass in their hands. It guides every shot, every performance. That compass points to the destination. If the desintation changes did the journey even happen?" 

Following the release of Suicide Squad, numerous stars and Ayer himself have spoken about how they were unhappy with how the film turned out. Jared Leto famously made it clear he was upset that the majority of his Joker scenes were cut, while Joel Kinnaman, who is reprising his role in James Gunn's sequel/quasi-reboot (rebootquel?), detailed where he thought it all went wrong.

Earlier this year, Ayer said he was frustrated that he continually got the blame for how Suicide Squad turned out. "My frustation comes from being hammered for something that was not my original vision," he tweeted, while also expressing his excitement for Gunn's film.

The Suicide Squad from James Gunn is set to hit theaters Aug. 6, 2021, and it is expected that it will go for a different tone than Ayer's attempt. "I feel like I’m shooting my first comedy. There are a lot of really funny people there," Kinnaman said about his experience on the new film. "It’s like a learning experience. I’m around a lot of incredible funny people."

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