With the news that a Zack Snyder’s Director’s Cut of Justice League will release on HBO Max in 2021, fans are speculating if another DCEU with similar production problems will get the same treatment.
Suicide Squad, Directed by David Ayer, debuted in 2016 to harsh reviews, criticizing the film for it’s disjointed pacing and style. None of this was surprising after it was revealed that the film faced production nightmares including drastic reshoots, fights over editorial control, and desperate attempts to change the film’s entire tone at the last minute. This is most evident by the film’s two drastically different trailers, one that debuted at Comic Con that exhibited the film’s intended darker tone, and then a second trailer that had an upbeat soundtrack and plenty of comedic quips.
Director David Ayer, who lost editing control over the final cut to the trailer cutting company Trailer Park, hinted on twitter that he believes his vision of the film could receive a similar revival on streaming. Ayer’s version of the film hasn’t been championed to the same extent as Snyder’s, making it unlikely to happen. It is especially unlikely to happen now that James Gun is effectively rebooting the franchise with his film, The Suicide Squad. If ‘The Snyder Cut’ is a resounding success though, HBO and Warner Brother’s could be more inclined to do Ayer’s cut. It is difficult to make new superhero movies affordably for the budding streaming service, so HBO Max might look at Ayer’s film to build up it’s already unique content lineup.