Was SUICIDE SQUAD Doomed From The Start? Shocking New Details On The Film's Troubled Production Emerge
Following a rash of negative reviews, THR has posted an in-depth report on the various aspects of Suicide Squad's production that may ultimately have led to the critically perceived "mess" of a movie...
Comic book movie fans were left feeling very disappointing by the negative critical reaction to Suicide Squad, but the details contained in a new report by THR may make them wonder how the film was even released at all.
First off, it seems the picture received a release date before it even had a script. A source tells the trade that “[Ayer] wrote the script in like, six weeks, and they just went,” arguing that if the director had more time to develop his ideas that the final product would have benefited greatly. From the sounds of things, though, that might not have made much of a difference.
We all heard about those extensive reshoots, and - though it was played down at the time - they might well have been a direct response to the perception that the movie needed to be "more fun" after the Batman V Superman backlash, and ultimately led to a jumbled, tonally inconsistent final cut. A source reports that Warner Bros. Chief Kevin Tsujihara was so nervous that the movie "didn't deliver on the fun, edgy tone promised in the strong teaser trailer", that he actually brought in the company that edited that trailer, Trailer Park, to work on an alternate cut of the film while David Ayer was still editing his.
Apparently "Ayer's more somber version and a lighter, studio-favored version" were both tested with audiences, and from that some common ground was reached - but to get both of these visions for the supervillain ensemble in sync required millions of dollars worth of additional photography.
Unfortunately, none of that seemed to matter one way or the other as Suicide Squad was still soundly bashed by many critics (not ours), so it will be interesting to see how Warner Bros. addresses this moving forward. Perhaps ignoring what critics deem to be "wrong" with your movies and having some faith in your director's vision is the answer?
Suicide Squad releases this weekend, and despite the reviews is still on track to make a lot of cash - but the big question is, will it have legs? Insiders reckon it'll have to bring in between $750 million and $800 million to break even.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.