David Ayer Drops Blistering Open Letter About Suicide Squad
James Gunn's first entry into the DC Extended Universe is right around the corner, and critics are already saying great things about "The Suicide Squad," with many comparing it favorably to the largely unreferenced 2016 film, "Suicide Squad." However, some of those comparisons have started to get personal, prompting David Ayer, who wrote and directed "Suicide Squad," to post a blistering open letter discussing his experience developing the film, and the influence the studio had on the theatrical cut.
The letter, posted to Twitter in three parts, discussed the challenges in Ayer's past that influenced his filmmaking process, his opinion on the studio cut that made it to audiences, and his support for James Gunn's new film. The first portion of the letter goes into detail about his early life, documenting trauma he experienced as a child, his time in the military, and his struggles with drug addiction. He explained that all of those influences were poured into his early scripts such as "Training Day," the searing LA crime drama about a corrupt cop played by Denzel Washington.
Ayer shared those experiences because, as he put it, "I write about my lived truth." As far as his 2016 DC film goes, Ayer said, "I put my life into 'Suicide Squad.' I made something amazing." The story Ayer wanted to tell, his letter reads, was an "intricate and emotional journey," one that was not reflected in what was released. Here is the bombshell statement Ayer had to share about "Suicide Squad."
David Ayer disavows the studio cut of Suicide Squad in his open letter
In his open letter on Twitter, Ayer made a shocking claim distancing himself from "Suicide Squad," stating, "The studio cut is not my movie. Read that again."
Beyond that, Ayer said that the Director's Cut also does not reflect his vision for the film, which he described as "a fully mature edit by Lee Smith standing on the [incredible] work by John Gilroy." Ayer further explained that his cut featured only the score created by Steven Price, and did not feature "a single radio song in the whole thing." The director also claimed that only a few people have seen his version of the film and said, "If someone says they have seen it, they haven't."
Regarding the reception "Suicide Squad" received, Ayer said that he had no intention of further divulging the process the film went through and "never will." Ayer wrote, "I'm old school like that. So I kept my mouth shut and took the tsunami of sometimes shockingly personal criticism."
However, despite the negative experience Ayer had with "Suicide Squad," he did end his letter on a surprisingly positive note, stating his support for Warner Bros. and enthusiasm for the momentum the DC Extended Universe had built. He called the work of James Gunn "brilliant," and called his forthcoming film "the miracle of miracles," to which Gunn replied on Twitter, "All my love and admiration, friend."