Suicide Squad: David Ayer Reveals First 40 Minutes of Scenes Were Removed From DC Movie

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot

Ever since news came out announcing the upcoming release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League for HBO Max in 2021, questions have been asked about the possibility of other films in the DC Extended Universe receiving the same treatment. At the forefront of these inquiries has been David Ayer's 2016 release of Suicide Squad, about which he has been incredibly vocal, both in favor of receiving the chance at an Ayer Cut and against certain higher-ups at Warner Bros and DC Films who he believed heavily altered his vision.

Talks of this cut have kicked up once again, after the news came revealing that Jared Leto would be reprising his role as Joker from Suicide Squad in the Snyder Cut, which Ayer has celebrated over the past few weeks. Ayer has discussed at length how so much of his original movie was left on the cutting room floor during the editing process, and he recently responded to a fan question revealing which of these cuts upset him the most.

NEWS

Via his personal Twitter account, Suicide Squad director David Ayer recently answered a fan question from user @CutAyer about what part of his original movie was the toughest to leave on the cutting room floor. This fan question can be seen here, along with a GIF of Jared Leto's Joker:

Ayer answered this question very simply with "the first 40 minutes" in the tweet below:

 

WHAT THIS MEANS

The Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad has been a major topic of discussion amongst DCEU fans all summer, due to news of the Snyder Cut along with all the praise and excitement already being received for director James Gunn's upcoming part-sequel/part-reboot The Suicide Squad. David Ayer himself has been front and center campaigning for the chance to release his true vision of what his movie was supposed to be, including a completely different storyline for Harley Quinn and Joker and so much more. Whether all this action comes in the movie's first 40 minutes is still a mystery, but it becomes clearer by the day how vastly different Ayer's ideas for the movie were from what eventually released in theaters four years ago.

As of now, there are no indications from Warner Bros. or DC Films that Ayer will get the chance to give his cut of Suicide Squad to the world, even though it has turned out to be one of the most prominently controversial movies in the DCEU's history. The franchise's third overall film came out to moderate financial success in theaters with $747 million at the worldwide box office, but while Ayer's biggest fans will defend it to the end, Suicide Squad still had its fair share of issues. Some of these low lights included only ten minutes of Joker screen time, major issues with the timeline being changed, and teases of more interesting story events that never came to fruition.

James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is set to continue on from Ayer's DCEU movie when it releases in theaters on August 8, 2021, with a handful of actors set to return from the original film.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.