Screenrant
As the new co-CEO of DCU, James Gunn's stance is correct about ultimately not releasing the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad from director David Ayer.
Despite the persistent clamor for it, James Gunn's stance on not releasing the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad is correct. Released in 2016, the ensemble project introduced Task Force X — a group of villains forced to do good or risk getting killed. It's no secret, however, that production for Suicide Squad was chaotic, with Warner Bros. mandating last-minute reshoots that left a lot Ayer's original material on the cutting room floor. In light of Zack Snyder's Justice League getting released, the petition for the so-called Suicide Squad Ayer Cut has persisted, but the new co-CEO of DCU Gunn isn't keen on heeding the request.
Gunn addressed the Release the Ayer Cut movement and explained why it isn’t a priority. According to him, they are currently focused on moving the franchise forward. While there's no doubt that there's interest in the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad, releasing it now could derail plans to progress DCU. If it gets released, it will result in a new discourse about a project that was released six years ago. Although it's truly unfair that Ayer's true vision for Suicide Squad didn't see the light of day, there's no real benefit to the DCU to release his cut of the movie now.
If Gunn and co-CEO of DCU, Peter Safran agree to release the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad to honor the filmmaker's right to creative freedom, it would only make debates about the DCU worse. Regardless of what the public thinks about it, it will only sow more division in the fandom. Those who would deem it worse would use it as a justification against releasing it in the first place. Meanwhile, those who would argue it's better would be a catalyst to further retrospection of what the DCEU could have been.
While the Release the Snyder Cut movement has had a bigger online presence, the Release the Ayer Cut has also had a consistent influx of support on various social media platforms. Despite the release of Gunn's The Suicide Squad which was neither a reboot nor sequel to the original Suicide Squad, clamor for Ayer's vision of the 2016 film continues, and it will persist as long as DCU's continuity remains bleak. This makes The Flash’s rumored reboot more essential as it would help the franchise have a more defined future.
Understandably, there would be critics of Gunn's decision to not prioritize the release of an Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad. It's worth noting, however, that this isn't an isolated choice that targets a specific project. It's a pragmatic way to move the DCU forward in a way that will be both sustainable and successful for as long as possible. In any case, just because it isn't happening now doesn't mean that it will never happen. Perhaps things can change once the franchise has become more stable.
