Suicide Squad 2016 director David Ayer has responded to an online backlash against his support for James Gunn’s Superman and its recently released debut trailer.
Ayer, whose widely panned Suicide Squad movie formed a part of the now defunct DCEU, had initially taken to X/Twitter to ask fans not to launch the latest ‘Ayer Cut’ campaign at the same time as Thursday’s Superman trailer release date.
“I didn’t realize James was dropping Creature Commandos when the last Ayer cut campaign hit,” Ayer tweeted. “The new Superman trailer is dropping soon and I know there’s intentions of another campaign for my version of Skwad.
“As a film makers [sic] I want to support other film makers. I’m excited to see the trailer and have heard through the rumor mill it’s pretty incredible.
“I just want to publicly say it would be nice to stay far clear of Thursday for any campaigning.
“I appreciate everyone hearing me out. At the end of the day I’m riding a tiger here. Just going in heard [sic] on this. 🙏🏼”
Some of the reaction to this tweet, particularly from supporters of the Ayer Cut campaign, went overboard, rekindling memories of the infamous Zack Snyder fandom that played a part in the 2021 release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League. Ayer, clearly exacerbated by what he’d witnessed on social media last week, announced he was taking a “step back” from the discourse.
“My Lord,” he tweeted. “If supporting another film maker is so contentious, I’m just lost at this point.
“When I was a kid I had a nightmare childhood. My best friends were comic books. They held me and gave me company when no one else did.
“Batman spoke to my injured soul. Superman’s optimism was an example how to see the world without darkness.
“I cannot f***ing wait to see Jame’s [sic] trailer. Real talk. And I cannot wait to see his film. And absolutely am sure he crushed it. Because that simple optimism of Superman is all over it. And the little kid in me needs that right now.
“I’m a bad guy for that? So be it.
“I do troll what I can control. And can’t what I can’t. Gonna step back from all this for a moment.”
While the ‘release the Snyder Cut’ online campaign did end up contributing to Warner Bros.’ decision to make it a reality, Ayer said in January that he had officially given up on his campaign to have his director’s cut of Suicide Squad similarly released.
Cries for the Ayer Cut began after the extended Snyder Cut of Justice League was released in 2021. This version was generally considered to be an improvement upon the much-maligned original, and Ayer had long maintained that “his version” of Suicide Squad would have the same result. He’d also remained positive about the eventual Ayer Cut release, even with James Gunn and Peter Safran ditching the DCEU for a fresh start.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
