Released in 2016, Suicide Squad saw Amanda Waller send Task Force X into a warzone where many of them were promptly killed (either by Waller or the Enchantress). However, unlike Slipknot, the Ayer Cut simply won't die.
Following Creature Commandos' premiere on Max this week, some DCEU fans have gone back to campaigning for Warner Bros. - and DC Studios - to #ReleaseTheAyerCut.
Over the years, filmmaker David Ayer has gone back and forth on either joining those efforts or saying he's moved on. He's made four movies since then; Bright, The Tax Collector, The Beekeeper, and next year's Levon's Trade.
As frustrating and upsetting as it must be that his vision for Suicide Squad has never been seen, it's not like his career was completely derailed by studio interference like Fantastic Four director Josh Trank's was.
Regardless, after sharing more images from the movie, Ayer once again took to X to share his hopes for the world to see the director's cut of the movie.
"The best version simply has not been seen," the filmmaker told his followers. "I know how difficult it is for someone outside the industry to comprehend how insanely different to cuts a film can be. If you dislike what you’ve seen, here’s an opportunity to see what I actually intended and then judge once you have all the information."
"Honestly I have no idea if [Warner Bros.] would ever release my version. And I have to defer to James [Gunn] and the studio to manage it as they see fit," he continued. "It’s not something I control. I just believe it would be a lot of fun for those who want to see it, to see my cut. If it’s not for you, I totally get that. We all have different taste and likes and dislikes."
Ayer later acknowledged, "If it happens cool. If it doesn’t cool. It’s just not that deep. I think you deserve to see it and judge it then. If it’s not for you all good."
It's hard to imagine the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad being anywhere close to a priority for Gunn and DC Studios, particularly when they're attempting to undo the damage to the brand caused by the DCEU.
There also doesn't appear to be any sort of mainstream demand for this cut beyond the type of social media users who campaign to #ReleaseTheAyerCut in one breath and then share theories that Gunn based Rick Flag Sr. on himself in the next...