Suicide Squad director David Ayer pens an open letter on the fiasco behind his film

David Ayer posted an open letter on Twitter, defending his 2016 film, Suicide Squad saying, “the studio cut is not my movie.” His defence comes after the release of the 2021 James Gunn film, The Suicide Squad which has been compared to be superior to the 2016 Suicide Squad. 

The director had written, “My cut is an intricate and emotional journey with some bad people who are shit on and discarded (a theme that resonates in my soul).” He went on to say that the studio cut wasn’t his movie. 

“And my cut is not the 10-week director’s cut — it’s a fully mature edit by Lee Smith standing on the incredible work by John Gilroy,” he added

The filmmaker started with his childhood, spent in the foster care system as a reason for his father dying by suicide. He spent much of his time on the streets, detailing the gruesome crimes and murders he witnessed and how he ultimately joined the navy. He went on to write Training Day, which was another turning point in his life. 

Ayer wrote that he had never told his side of the story since he is “old school like that” and went on to take all the blame himself. 

In the end, the director commended James Gunn and proclaimed he is proud of the filmmaker and won’t be speaking further on this sensitive topic.   

The 2016 film, starring Margot Robbie, Jared Leto and Will Smith currently have a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, the James Gunn-helmed film holds a 97% score. 

Suicide Squad is currently streaming on Netflix with The Suicide Squad releasing on August 5 in India.