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Suicide Squad is a 2016 American superhero film based on the DC Comics antihero team of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Ratpac-Dune Entertainment, DC Films, and Atlas Entertainment, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the third installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it was written and directed by David Ayer and stars an ensemble cast led by Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood & Cara Delevigne.

By February 2009, a Suicide Squad film was in development at Warner Bros., Ayer signed on to write and direct in September 2014, and by October, the casting process had begun. Principal photography began in Toronto, Ontario on April 13, 2015, with additional filming in Chicago, and ended in August that year.

Suicide Squad premiered in New York City on August 1, 2016, and was released in the United States in RealD 3D, IMAX, and IMAX 3D on August 5, 2016. Following a strong debut that set new box office records, the film grossed over $746 million worldwide, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2016. The film received generally negative reviews from critics for its plot, Ayer's direction, screenplay, pacing, and Leto’s performance, although Robbie’s performance was praised. The film was nominated for and won multiple awards across various categories, including an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 89th Academy Awards. It was followed by the spin-off film Birds of Prey, starring Robbie, in 2020, and a standalone sequel The Suicide Squad in 2021, with Robbie, Kinnaman, Davis, and Courtney returning; both films garnered much more positive reception.

Plot[]

Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film.

In the aftermath of Superman's tragic death (which was depicted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), intelligence officer Amanda Waller convinces the US Government to greenlight Task Force X, a response team of criminals and supervillains. The team will be used to combat metahuman threats, under Waller's control via nanite bombs implanted in each criminal's neck, which can be remotely detonated if they try to rebel or escape. If successful, they will have their sentences shortened.

Dr. June Moone, an American archaeologist, becomes possessed by a witch called Enchantress. Waller can control the Enchantress by seizing her magical heart, which wounds her if it is struck. Waller's subordinate Colonel Rick Flag is in love with Moone, and is made a member of Task Force X. However, Enchantress betrays Waller, conquering Midway City, transforming humans into monsters, and summoning her brother Incubus to destroy mankind.

Task Force X is formed to stop Enchantress, using six inmates from Belle Reve penitentiary. The roster consists of hitman Deadshot, who wants to reunite with his daughter Zoe; Harley Quinn, a former psychiatrist-turned-girlfriend of Gotham crime lord Joker; Australian thief Captain Boomerang; pyrokinetic ex-gangster El Diablo; mutant cannibal Killer Croc; and mercenary Slipknot. The team are led by Flag and joined by his associate Katana, a Japanese swordswoman. Waller and Flag deliberately hide the latter's relationship with Moone.

Upon arrival in Midway City, the team's helicopter is shot down, forcing them to travel on foot. Boomerang convinces Slipknot to take off, believing the bombs are a ruse, but Flag kills Slipknot when he tries to escape, proving Boomerang's theory false. Scaling a skyscraper, the team discover Waller is their mark, trying to cover up her involvement in Enchantress' revolt. Meanwhile, the Joker learns of Harley's predicament, locates A.R.G.U.S. scientist Dr. Van Criss and blackmails him into disabling Harley's bomb.

As Waller and the squad await helicopter extraction, the Joker intervenes, disables Harley's bomb, and helps her escape. Waller shoots down the Joker's helicopter, though Harley survives and rejoins the squad, believing the Joker is dead. Enchantress captures Waller to regain her heart. Deadshot finds Waller's top-secret files and discovers Flag's relationship with Moone. The team abandon Flag, sharing a drink in an abandoned bar, where El Diablo reveals his powers and criminal lifestyle led to the deaths of his family. Flag relieves the squad of their mission, but realizing they have the opportunity to prove themselves, the group set out to save the city.

The squad attack Enchantress, while Killer Croc and Flag's platoon of Navy SEALs plant a bomb beneath the subway to kill her brother. El Diablo embraces his pyrokinesis, sacrificing himself to maneuver and keep Incubus in the right spot. Enchantress invites the squad to join her, and Harley pretends to be tempted to get close enough to cut out Enchantress's heart. Flag crushes her heart, killing her and releasing Moone from her control. Waller deducts ten years off each squad member's sentence and fulfill their requests (except for Boomerang, who is instead detained). The Joker, alive, breaks into Belle Reve and rescues Harley.

In a mid-credits scene, Waller meets with Bruce Wayne, who agrees to protect her from the legal consequences of the events in Midway City in exchange for government files on the growing metahuman community. He reveals his plans to contact the heroes in the file, including Flash and Aquaman, in order to build his own superhero team. She advises him to stop working late nights, implying she knows Bruce is Batman. In response, he tells Waller to shut down Task Force X or he and his "friends" will do it for her.

Cast[]

  • Will Smith as Floyd Lawton / Deadshot
  • Jared Leto as Joker
  • Margot Robbie as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn
  • Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag
  • Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
  • Jai Courtney as George "Digger" Harkness / Captain Boomerang
  • Jay Hernandez as Chato Santana / El Diablo
  • Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Waylon Jones / Killer Croc
  • Cara Delevingne as Dr. June Moone / Enchantress
  • Karen Fukuhara as Tatsu Yamashiro / Katana
  • Ike Barinholtz as Griggs
  • Scott Eastwood as GQ Edwards
  • Adam Beach as Christopher Weiss / Slipknot

Other Cast Members[]

Ben Affleck and Ezra Miller reprised their roles from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as Bruce Wayne/Batman & Barry Allen/Flash respectively in cameo roles while Jason Momoa makes a brief photographic appearance as Arthur Curry /Aquaman.

Alain Chanoine portrayed the role of Incubus, the brother of Enchantress.

Jim Parrack and Common appear as Joker's henchmen Jonny Frost and Monster T. Shailyn Pierre-Dixon and Corina Calderon portray Zoe Lawton and Grace Santana, Deadshot's daughter and Diablo's wife, respectively.

David Harbour and Alex Meraz portray a government official named Dexter Tolliver & a Navy Seal named Gomez, respectively.

Production[]

Development[]

In February 2009, Warner Bros. was developing a film based on the Suicide Squad group, with Dan Lin, Colin Wilson, and Charles Roven producing, and Justin Marks writing the script. David Ayer signed on to direct and write the film in September 2014. On October 20, 2014, director Ayer talked to Empire Online about the film, saying "that it's a Dirty Dozen with supervillains", as he based the screenplay on various Suicide Squad comics and material. He stated that "The DC Universe is too rich to go very far astray." Ayer had six weeks to write his script, given the release date was already set.

Casting[]

In October 2014, Warner Bros. had initially offered Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, and Will Smith roles in the film. In November, TheWrap revealed that Jared Leto was in talks for the role of Joker, for which Gosling was originally sought. The main cast was announced by Warner Brothers in December 2014 with Smith, Hardy, Leto, Robbie, Jai Courtney, and Cara Delevingne along with their respective roles as Deadshot, Rick Flag, Joker, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and Enchantress. The studio was also considering Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Oprah Winfrey for the role of Amanda Waller. Following the announcement of the cast, comic book writer John Ostrander (creator of the modern incarnation of the Suicide Squad) talked with Comic Book Resources about the casting, saying, "I have no problem with the casting... what I am really impressed by with all of the casting is that they are getting some very good actors to play these parts."

In January 2015, Davis expressed interest in playing Amanda Waller during an interview, saying "I'm fascinated by [Waller]." Meanwhile, Tom Hardy had to drop out as Rick Flag because of scheduling issues with his film The Revenant. Jake Gyllenhaal, who worked with Ayer on End of Watch, was then given an offer to replace Hardy as Flag, but he declined. The studio was then looking at Joel Edgerton, Jon Bernthal, and Joel Kinnaman to play the role. In February, Jay Hernandez joined the cast and Kinnaman was also confirmed to play Flag. At the 87th Academy Awards, it was revealed that Davis had been cast as Amanda Waller. In March 2015, boxer Raymond Olubawale was reported to have an unspecified role in the film, and Scott Eastwood announced that he had been cast. Later that month, it was confirmed that Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Karen Fukuhara had been cast as Killer Croc and Katana, respectively. Adam Beach, Ike Barinholtz, and Jim Parrack were added to the cast in April 2015. In January 2016, Ben Affleck was confirmed to reprise his role as Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Filming[]

Filming began on April 13, 2015 in Toronto. On April 26 and 27, filming took place at Hy's Steakhouse. A "snowstorm" scene was filmed on April 29 on Adelaide St. and in Ching Lane. On May 5, a few major scenes were filmed in downtown Toronto next to Yonge and Dundas Square. Principal photography wrapped in August 2015 after additional filming took place in Chicago, Illinois. The visual effects were later provided by Moving Picture Company, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Mammal Studios and Ollin VFX and supervised by Robert Winter, Mark Breakspaer, Gregory D. Liegey, Charlie Iturriaga and Jerome Chen as the Production Supervisor.

Post-production[]

The film had a troubled post-production. Reshoots ensued in 2016 following Warner's desire to make a more lighthearted and comedic tone akin to the trailers, especially as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was criticized for being too somber; it was reported the reshoots cost as much as $22 million (more than the typical $6–10 million that additional filming costs). It was also confirmed that Zack Snyder filmed a scene with the Flash while shooting Justice League in London, while Ayer was in post-production on Suicide Squad. Ayer confirmed that the film was completed on June 24, 2016. Despite the involvement of multiple editors in the process, only John Gilroy is named in the main credit sequence.

Music[]

Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price, who previously worked with Ayer on Fury, composed the score for Suicide Squad. Suicide Squad: Original Motion Picture Score was announced for a release date of August 8, 2016.

The soundtrack album "Suicide Squad: The Album" was announced in June 2016 & was released on August 5, 2016.

The album's first single, "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots, was released on June 20, 2016. A music video for the song, set in a prison and featuring footage from the film, was released on June 21.

The song "Sucker for Pain" was released as the second single on June 24 and album's third single, "Purple Lamborghini" by Skrillex and Rick Ross was released on July 22.

The tracks "Gangsta" by Kehlani, "Standing in the Rain" by Action Bronson, Mark Ronson and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, "Medieval Warfare" by Grimes & "Bohemian Rhapsody", covered by Panic! at the Disco were released as four promotional singles on August 2, August 3, and 4, 2016, respectively with "Medieval Warfare" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" being released on the same day.

Marketing[]

At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International convention, the stars of "Suicide Squad" (consisting of Smith, Robbie, Courtney, Davis, and Kinnaman) appeared at a panel.

A trailer that was to be exclusive to the event premiered, but it was leaked online with Warner Bros. responding by stating they would not release an official version.

However, the following day, Warner Bros. released an official version, stating: "Warner Bros. Pictures and our anti-piracy team have worked tirelessly over the last 48 hours to contain the Suicide Squad footage that was pirated from Hall H on Saturday. We have been unable to achieve that goal. Today we will release the same footage that has been illegally circulating on the web, in the form it was created and high quality with which it was intended to be enjoyed. We regret this decision as it was our intention to keep the footage as a unique experience for the Comic-Con crowd, but we cannot continue to allow the film to be represented by the poor quality of the pirated footage stolen from our presentation."

Film Release[]

"Suicide Squad" first premiered at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on August 1, 2016 and was theatrically released in the United States on August 5, 2016, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.

Box Office[]

"Suicide Squad" opened at #1 at the box office, grossing $133,682,248 during its opening weekend.

As of September 8, 2016, the movie has grossed $307.4 million in North America and $392 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $699.4 million against a budget of $175 million and $325 million including advertising & promotion costs.

The movie was highly anticipated by audiences worldwide, despite the negative critical reception and lower-than-expected box office performance of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" in March.

"Suicide Squad" recorded a worldwide opening of $267.1 million from 59 countries and IMAX global debut of $18.2 million (which both set new records for the month of August). That is also the second-best debut worldwide for a DC property after Dawn of Justice ($422.5 million) and the seventh best for a superhero title.

The Hollywood Reporter highlighted that "Dawn of Justice" had an advantage of receiving a coveted day-and-date release with China while "Suicide Squad" might not secure a release date in the country.

International Box Office[]

Internationally "Suicide Squad" was released in 57 countries (70% of the marketplace) including France, South Korea, Australia, Russia and the CIS, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Spain and Mexico beginning from Wednesday, August 3rd.

According to trackings, the film was projected to have an opening anywhere between $85 million to $120 million, which would be a new August international debut record.

Deadline.com pointed out that although the film is a lesser known property, similar to Guardians of the Galaxy stars such as Will Smith are better known internationally, which could potentially aid the film's performance.

The movie opened on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, in 7 countries, earning $8.1 million. It opened in 50 more countries on August 4 and 5, earning $53.8 million for a three day total of $64.6 million from 57 countries.

Until Sunday, August 7th, the movie delivered a five day opening of $133.3 million from 57 countries on 17,630 screens, nearly double the previous August record held by "Guardians of the Galaxy" and it also set IMAX opening record with $7 million.

The movie added $58.7 million on its second weekend, a drop of 57% on 15,600 screens in 62 territories. After two straight wins, it was overtaken by the animated film The Secret Life of Pets in its third weekend.

"Suicide Squad" recorded the biggest opening day of all time for Warner Bros. in Russia ($3.9 million), the biggest August opening day in the United Kingdom and Ireland ($6.2 million), Brazil ($3 million), South Korea ($2.9 million, also the second biggest Warner Bros. opening day), France ($2.7 million), Sweden ($564,000) & Holland ($517,000, also the biggest opening of the year).

Mexico and Spain opened with $3.9 million and $1.4 million respectively. In terms of opening weekend which recorded the biggest Warner Bros. opening film of all time in Russia ($11.4 million).

In Brazil (despite playing amidst the 2016 Summer Olympics), "Suicide Squad" managed to open with $11.75 million, marking the biggest August opening weekend of all time, the biggest Will Smith opening, and the fourth biggest opening for a superhero film. Its opening numbers alone made it the second biggest film for the studio there.

In South Korea, although the film was off to a strong start, however, it was eventually overtaken by "The Last Princess" and "Operation Chromite" debuting at #3 and made $10.8 million in five days (Wednesday to Sunday).

The U.K. and Ireland posted the biggest opening market for the film with £11.25 million ($14.8 million) from 573 theaters.

Discounting previews, "Suicide Squad" delivered the third-biggest UK opening of the year, behind "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (£14.62 million) and Captain America: Civil War (£14.47 million). It also became the first new released film of August since 2014 to debut above £3 million.

Elsewhere, it scored the biggest August opening in Australia ($10.5 million), Mexico ($10.4 million) and Argentina ($2.5 million) while in Spain, it recorded the biggest DC opening with $3.4 million, where it was behind "The Secret Life of Pets" for the weekend and France a $7.9 million opening. It opened in first place in India for a non-local film with $1.8 million from 462 screens, despite facing competition from Jason Bourne ($1.1 million from 1,027 screens) which also opened on the same weekend.

Despite the later film occupying twice the screen number of the former, Suicide Squad managed to take the top spot. Italy opened with an estimated $2.2 million in two days, that's the biggest opening for Smith there. It opened in first place in Germany with $6.9 million.

The movie opened in Japan (their last market) on September 9 where it debuted with $3.8 million there. It finished in second spot (and first among new releases) behind local anime "Your Name". With such a robust opening, Variety projects that the movie will end it's run there around $20 million.

In terms of total earnings, the movie's biggest market outside of North America are the U.K. and Ireland ($43.3 million), followed by Brazil ($35.1 million) and Mexico ($27.1 million). In just two weeks, it became the second highest-grossing Warner Bros. film of all time in Brazil behind "Dawn of Justice."

Critical Reception[]

"Suicide Squad" received generally negative reviews from critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 26% based on 390 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Suicide Squad boasts a talented cast and a little more humor than previous DCEU efforts, but they aren't enough to save the disappointing end result from a muddled plot, thinly written characters, and choppy directing." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of 40 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 73% overall positive score.

Rolling Stone's Peter Travers wrote, "DC Comics tries something different with Suicide Squad, an all-star collection of crime fighting villains—and the result is anything but super."

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair said that "Suicide Squad is just bad. It's ugly and boring, a toxic combination that means the film's highly fetishized violence doesn't even have the exciting tingle of the wicked or the taboo."

Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal heavily criticized the film saying, "In a word, Suicide Squad is trash. In two words, it's ugly trash." He further said, it "amounts to an all-out attack on the whole idea of entertainment" and called the film a product of "shameless pandering".

Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film B− saying, "Suicide Squad kicks off with fizzy, punk-rock ferocity before turning flat and spiraling into familiar formulas," and called Jared Leto's "scene-stealing" Joker "wasted" and "stranded in the periphery". He concluded the review by saying, "For DC, Suicide Squad is a small step forward. But it could have been a giant leap."

IGN gave the film 5.9/10, saying: "Suicide Squad is a decidedly different flavor than Batman v Superman. It goes for subversive, funny and stylish, and it succeeds wildly during the first act. But then the movie turns into something predictable and unexciting."

Drew McWeeny from HitFix gave it a positive review, writing: "Suicide Squad is not the darkest mainstream superhero comic book movie ever made, nor is it even the darkest live-action film featuring Batman ever made. However, it is gleefully nihilistic, and it takes a different approach to what has become a fairly familiar story form at this point, right at the moment when it feels like superhero movies either have to evolve or die."

Brian Truitt from USA Today wrote, "Compared to its ilk, Suicide Squad is an excellently quirky, proudly raised middle finger to the staid superhero-movie establishment."

Margot Robbie's performance of Harley Quinn was better received and she was considered a star-making performance, with many critics eager to see more of her character in future films. Paul Dini (the creator of Harley Quinn) said that Robbie "nailed" the character.

David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote that the "biggest letdown is the way the movie underserves both Harley and the actor playing her",and that one "can't forgive nearly ruining a complex, iconic character who deserves way better than this".

Top ten lists[]

  • 10th - Caillou Pettis, TwistedFalcon

Accolades[]

The movie received multiple 2016 Teen Choice Awards nominations, including "Choice AnTEENcipated Movie", "Choice Movie Actor: AnTEENcipated" for Will Smith & Scott Eastwood and "Choice Movie Actress: AnTEENcipated" for Margot Robbie & Cara Delevingne & won in both the former and latter categories.

Sequels, spin-offs and future[]

The film's mid-credit scene leads to the 2017 film Justice League. There have additionally been multiple spin-offs and sequels announced to be in development:

Sequel[]

The Suicide Squad was announced with intention of David Ayer to return as director from the first film, but Ayer left the project to work on Gotham City Sirens instead. This followed with Gavin O'Connor hired as co-screenwriter-director, while production was originally slated to begin October 2018, though the script's similarities to Birds of Prey led to principal photography delays. James Gunn was later hired to re-write the screenplay, after he was fired from Marvel Studios. Gunn directed the film, and unlike the original film having PG-13 rating, its sequel carried an R rating. The film was released in August 2021, to positive reviews from critics, who praised Gunn's script, direction, and visual style. The film was in turn followed by spin-off television series Peacemaker, starring John Cena as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. The series was released in January 2022 for HBO Max.

Spin-offs[]

After the release and financial success of Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. and DC Films announced six separate films being developed featuring Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn. Various sources report that the studios plan on featuring the anti-heroine in a trilogy of films for the character's first story-arc.

  • Birds of Prey: The film features Quinn, who after being left by the Joker, teams up with other antiheroes to protect Cassandra Cain from Gotham City crime boss Roman Sionis / Black Mask. Cathy Yan serves as director, with a script by Christina Hodson. Principal photography lasted from January through April 2019. The film was released on February 7, 2020 to a generally positive reception from critics.
  • Gotham City Sirens: Gotham City Sirens is set to be directed by David Ayer, with a script from Geneva Robertson-Dworet. The project was originally scheduled to begin production mid-2017, though the film was delayed due to the production team's busy schedules on other projects, and in favor of Birds of Prey. Despite the project's delay, Ayer has continued to work on developing the film, but later stated that the film is currently on hold.
  • Untitled Deadshot film: In December 2016, a film centered around Floyd Lawton / Deadshot was announced in development.
  • Untitled Harley Quinn film: Warner Bros. is in talks to make another Harley Quinn film set after The Suicide Squad.
  • Untitled Joker film: By June 2018, a standalone Joker film was reported to be in development, with Leto reprising his role as Joker for as well as to serve as executive producer for the film while also hiring its production crew. By February 2019, the film had been cancelled, and a standalone film, Joker, was released later that year.
  • Untitled Harley Quinn and Joker film: The film, with the working title Harley Quinn vs. the Joker, was announced with filmmaking duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa attached as co-writers/-directors/-producers. By October 2018 the script was completed, and though the project was originally intended to begin production immediately after The Suicide Squad, the filmmakers have since stated that production would begin once filming on Birds of Prey has wrapped. By February 2019, the film had been cancelled.

#ReleaseTheAyerCut movement[]

In August 2016, Jared Leto revealed that many of his scenes were cut from the film as a result of Executive Meddling. Ayers original vision was never released and he (Ayer) even feels that his cut has never been seen before. Wether this cut will ever be shown to the public is to be determined by the success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and The Suicide Squad (Half Reboot/Half Sequel). Ayer claimed there is only some Visual effects needed to complete some of the deleted scenes. This version runs 19 minutes longer than the theatrical release and 8 minutes longer than the Extended Version. Lots of fans online mistaken this for a completely different movie despite it remarkably having the same plot and cast and a not much longer runtime. This hour of footage mostly goes to alternate and extended along with completely new scenes. The main defining changes are: (note: the changes are not listed in chronological order of neither the theatrical, extended, or Ayer cut.)

First Act[]

  • An Alternate Opening where June moon discovers an Enchantress artifact before breaking its head off and then being possessed by the enchantress herself. This scene was kept in the movie, but is reworked to be in the second act (we will get to that later) and was shortened for the theatrical release. The squad members being introduced was put in place of this scene in the theatrical version (we will also get to the introduction scenes later).
  • Less or no pop music. It’s unknown if heathens (22 pilots) and gangsta (kehlani) were in the Ayer cut or not as they were pop songs but do give a dark vibe that would mesh well with the overly dark tone the Ayer cut has (we will get to that in a little bit).
  • After joker gets put of the van (for context one of his goons gave the guard a “gift basket” which was actually a bomb) and discovers said guard was still alive, he gets into the security room and beats up the guard and then says a one-liner: “some people just don’t know when to die”.
  • The scene where jokers goons break in to inject van criss was its own action sequence. The panda man was even a fully developed character in the Ayer cut.
  • A scene removed entirely where joker and two of his gang members scoured out the laboratory in order to find van criss as opposed to the theatrical and extended cut where they find him pretty much instantly. A minor change is where van criss is chipped with the syringe. In the Ayer cut, joker simply and wordlessly chipped him unlike the theatrical and extended cuts where he says another one liner: “this looks neat”.
  • Harleen Frances Quinlel and Jokers appointment was originally fully audible and longer. Originally joker talks a bit more with Harley and says that he needs a task from her which in question, was her getting him a machine gun. (He still asks for a machine gun in the final movie but it makes less sense).
  • An Extended Version of joker preparing to electroshock Harley. He explains why and the reason was because he was also electroshocked previously, putting him into “a black hole of rage and confusion” and saying that he insists he won’t hurt her and much more dialogue. When Johnny frost was strapping Harley down, in the background in both versions you can see joker beating up a guard which was also a cut scene fully shown in the Ayer cut. After electroshocking her, he is told something by another goon and joker calls him a dirty pervert. A fellow prisoner then interrupts his conversation and angrily yells at him to shut up (there is some behind the scenes footage of this). Afterwards, Johnny frost is holding Harley at gunpoint preparing to shoot before the joker declines by wagging his finger (the wagging finger bit was shown in the trailers) and then prepare to leave belle reeve.
  • A Darker tone. Even the opening title was changed to be more colorful, bright, and lighthearted.
  • Monsta T would have killed himself for offending joker as opposed to joker simply shooting him. Behind the scenes footage and a cut shot from the trailers is available from this scene, but the alternate scene itself remains unavailable.
  • following the alternate Monsta T death scene, there was a scene that was cut entirely where Harley and Joker have an arguement alluding to Monsta T’s death. Joker is upset with Harley for scaring him (t) into killing himself solely because and an official cut line in the Ayer cut: “he made me a lot of money” despite seeming to take pleasure in his death. Joker then decides to go on a joyride in his car to cool off, stopping by at a McDonald’s to order food (concept art of this surfaced recently and has yet to be confirmed if this was actually filmed, although it probably was), and crashing into food stands. (What a waste of good food!) also this explains why Batman is after them, as that scene originally took place right after).
  • an extended version of Batman chasing Harley a and Joker in right after said couple crash into many food stands. A line in the trailer from Harley “I hope you got insurance” followed by an unused extra shot of the joker, Batman trying to get into the car, joker punching the roof, and some slight shot extensions.

Second Act[]

  • The scene where Amanda Waller and two people talk about the members of the squad in a fancy restaurant was its own separate scene.
  • a meeting where Amanda Waller explains her idea was in the film, but she goes more into detail.
  • after the meeting, was a scene fully restored in the extended cut and the Ayer cut where Deadshot is looking at the rain in his prison cell thinking about his daughter.
  • The Squad members Introductions were not in a montage like fashion. Killer crocs intro was fully restored in the extended cut though. Harleys intro where she danced in a club was a minute long as opposed to about 10 seconds. Captain boomerangs intro was probably also changed.
  • a scene that was slightly edited where joker asks Johnny frost where Harley is. The music was changed and some small things where digitally removed but overall the scene is the exact same in all 3 versions. The edits were: originally a mannequinette with harleys iconic jester costume that was digitally edited for unknown reasons, and a woman on the couch in the background was also digitally censored, implying that the joker was cheating on Harley.
  • An Extended version of joker interrogating Captain Griggs. One line from this scene: “We’re gonna have so much fun together, I can’t wait to show you my (slap slap) toys” was shown in the second and final trailer but was removed from the movie, it took place right after joker said that he and Griggs are going to be friends, after this iconic cut line, we was then going to kiss Griggs and fondle him a little more as well as extra dialogue afterwards.

David Ayer Has no plans on shooting any extra footage for his cut if it does come out, as everything is already there. Although there were some deleted scenes involving a story arc with the enchantress. In the early script, it was revealed she was controlled by one of the 3 mother boxes and was controlled by Steppenwolfe, who was gonna be the main villain of the movie, although none of these deleted scenes were ever filmed and was likely the only thing that Ayer had control over.

Following the announcement of Zack Snyder's Justice League in May 2020 due to the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement campaign, fans have commenced a new campaign under the name #ReleaseTheAyerCut, which director and writer David Ayer supported. He has requested assistance in bringing his own vision into HBO Max, where Snyder's cut was released in 2021. The following are some notable ideas and subplots that were filmed but left out, as well as several reshoots and script alterations that took place during post-production:

  • The first 40 minutes of the film were cut with sections of it potentially being used for the flashbacks in the film.
  • The third act was changed with the Joker originally having an influence within it, with the majority of Leto's scenes being omitted from the theatrical cut, which upset Leto.
  • Diablo would have originally survived.
  • Harley Quinn, Slipknot, Batman, Enchantress, and Katana originally had larger roles, with Katana having become possessed and attacking the team at one point.
  • Scenes showing Harley and Joker's abusive relationship were cut from the theatrical cut.
  • A Killer Croc line was added for the theatrical cut without Ayer's input.
  • Geoff Johns added Quinn being an accomplice to Robin's murder to the theatrical cut.
  • Parts of the original score were replaced with pop songs for the theatrical cut.
  • The final cut was taken away from Ayer and instead handed to trailer production company, Trailer Park, Inc.

After the fan's campaign was launched, Ayer later stated in July how his vision was changed due to the success of Deadpool and the negative criticism received by Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, highlighting an early trailer that "nailed the tone and intention of the film [he] made", saying that his "soulful drama was beaten into a 'comedy'". Later that month, Ayer confirmed that a director's cut for Suicide Squad "definitely exists" and requested that AT&T "[let] it see the sunlight". Ayer also confirmed that the official movie novelization by Marv Wolfmanis closer to his original cut than the cinematic release. Affleck's stunt double Richard Cetrone said the film would have included "more Batman".

Many Suicide Squad cast and crew members, and other directors of DCEU movies or actors, have voiced their support for a release of the director's cut.

In March 2021, Ann Sarnoff, the then current chairman and CEO of Warner Bros., said that the company has no intentions to release Ayer's cut of the film. Her comment lead to Ayer reaching out to Entertainment Weekly to explain why his film didn't release in the way he wanted in 2016 to keep fan interest in his version of the film alive. Despite Sarnoff's comments, fans have continued to campaign for the cut, with it trending on Twitter with 80 thousand tweets on March 22, and again on April 16, reaching over 100 thousand tweets. Ayer once again criticized the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad on before praising James Gunn's sequel in July, adamantly stating that "the studio cut [was] not [his] movie".

A snippet of Joker and Harley Quinn at the helicopter scene was leaked on YouTube in February 2022.

In an April 2022 interview, actor Jay Hernandez reaffirmed his support for the cut's possible release. According to Hernandez, co-stars like Leto and Kinnaman and everyone else that he'd talked to were in full support of the release. Hernandez suggested that a streamer like HBO Max should release the cut. The interviewer TVLine contacted representatives of HBO Max who stated that there were no plans currently to release the cut. David Ayer later said in May that his cut would only require finishing the VFX work and that no reshoots would be needed.

David Ayer held a private screening for the admin of the official Twitter account for the #ReleaseTheAyerCut movement in October 2022 that shed further light on the state of his cut after sharing the shooting script with them in the previous year.

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