MOVIE NEWS – Suicide Squad director David Ayer has spoken out about one of the most divisive decisions in DC filmmaking amid calls for a director’s cut.

Suicide Squad director David Ayer has owned up to one of his controversial decisions regarding Jared Leto’s Joker. The post has sparked new conversations around the possibility of a director’s cut of the film, which has been a constant topic of discussion for years.

Since the film’s release in 2016, it has been explicitly confirmed that the film did not fully represent director Ayer’s vision, similar to the first theatrical release of Justice League. Consequently, fans and Zack Snyder have argued for an Ayer cut of Suicide Squad.

Ayer, who has often expressed his hopes of making the director’s cut of Suicide Squad, has taken advantage of fans’ interactions on social media. He embraced one of the film’s more daring visual choices. On Twitter, a fan criticised Snyder and Ayer. He criticised them for retouching their work. The changes made before release were used as a shield to shield critics on a thread about the Joker’s “Damaged” tattoo. Ayer responded with the following post. “I own the tattoo idea 100%. It was my choice. Original idea is it would say ‘Blessed’ and not ‘Damaged.’ Now having said that – I regret that decision. It created acrimony and division. Not every idea is a good idea. And I’ll just be in the corner here while the internet slaps me around for this post.”

The original intention of the tattoo, which is one of the most prominent features even in the experimental designs of the Joker, played by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad, was similarly explained by Ayer on social media earlier. To a fan who asked about the forehead tattoo, Ayer replied, “It was Joker trolling Batman after getting his teeth punched in by him. It’s the one aesthetic choice I wish I hadn’t made. Caught a lot of smoke for it obviously.” Ayer also claimed that this fact was about to be revealed in a scene in Justice League 2 between Leto’s Joker and Ben Affleck’s Batman. All this would have been a reference to Robin’s death.

Snyder had plans for a second Justice League film. It was to have been a full-length adaptation of the Knight comic. It would have brought the comic book storyline in which Darkseid’s murder of Lois Lane and use of the anti-life equation leads to a corrupted Superman ruling Earth with an iron fist as an ally of Apokolips. To the dismay and resistance of Batman and others.

How loose the adaptation would have been in order to maintain a mainstream audience has always been close to the minds of comic book fans of the idea.

Recent news that a former Warner Bros. president has confirmed that the Snyderverse was profitable for the company. This has only further stoked fan interest to see a fully realised version of the overarching story that Snyder, Ayer and others have pitched several times over the years. The initiative to sell the Snyderverse to Netflix was further strengthened by this and the encouragement of those, such as Will Smith, who was involved in the abridged projects.

What the future holds for the Synderverse, if anything, will probably have to wait until James Gunn’s new DCU comes to fruition.

Source: X

I own the tattoo idea 100%

It was my choice. Original idea is it would say “Blessed” and not “Damaged”

Now having said that — I regret that decision. It created acrimony and division.

Not every idea is a good idea.

And I’ll just be in the corner here while the internet… https://t.co/8no7KQy1Oe

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 16, 2023