Suicide Squad Director Calls for Ayer Cut’s Release on DC Movie’s 8th Anniversary

David Ayer is once again calling on Warner Bros. to release his edit of Suicide Squad .

Since the release of 2016’s Suicide Squad, Ayer has been vocal about how the final version of the DC movie turned out differently than he envisioned it due to some issues that occurred during post-production.

There has since been an online #ReleaseTheAyerCut campaign asking for Warner Bros. to formally distribute Ayer’s version of the movie (a campaign that became even more popular after Warner Bros. released Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021), though the studio has not publicly announced any plans to do so at this time.

Now, on the film’s eighth anniversary, Ayer is once again asking for his edit of the movie to be released.

What did David Ayer say about his version of Suicide Squad?

On X, Ayer posted a photo that shows a close-up of the Joker’s mouth. It reads, “Release the Ayer cut!” while the bottom of the image also features a quote from Ayer saying, “This is not a directors cut, this is my edit, this is my mature cut.” The photo also includes the hashtag #RestoreTheSnyderVerse and logos from Justice League movies that Snyder never got to make.

View Ayer’s post below:

While, per The Hollywood Reporter , Ayer and James Gunn previously met and discussed potentially releasing Ayer’s Suicide Squad cut after the “new DCU has some momentum,” Ayer curiously stated in January 2024 that he was giving up on the campaign.

“I can take the hint. It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill,” Ayer said. “There are great places and great partners out there to work with, and I just want to focus on being a great partner and making some good movies.”

Ayer’s Suicide Squad is part of the DCEU, which officially ended in 2023 with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Gunn and Peter Safran are now creating a new DCU that officially kicks off this coming December with an animated Creature Commandos series. Some story elements and characters from the DCEU will carry over into the DCU, though there has been no official announcement about any Suicide Squad-related projects (apart from Peacemaker Season 2) at this time.