Suicide Squad Director Says His Ayer Cut Version of Joker Isn't Just a Prop Like DC's Theatrical Release

Suicide Squad director David Ayer has claimed his unreleased extended cut of the 2016 film features Joker as a "formidable" and "intense" character instead of a prop.

In a post on X/Twitter, Ayer expressed further frustration at DC for squandering what he called "a force of nature" in his own version of Suicide Squad. Ayer was the sole director of the film though has long claimed the version realised in cinemas, that was slammed by critics and fans, is not the movie he made.

"Joker is formidable, intense, and a force of nature in my cut, not unfocused and silly," Ayer said of Jared Leto's character. "In my cut he has a story arc that hangs powerfully over the entire film. In the studio cut he's a prop, not a character."

Joker is formidable intense and a force of nature in my cut. Not unfocused and silly. In my cut he has a story arc that hangs powerfully over the entire film.

In the studio cut he’s a prop not a character. https://t.co/RspbQWLZjV

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) December 17, 2023

The 2016 film features Joker almost as a cameo, with his role not extending beyond some early, largely unrelated scenes which are irrelevant to the plot. That seemingly wasn't Ayer's vision, however, as the director once more pines for DC to release his extended version.

A successful fan campaign saw the same happen to the DC Extended Universe's Justice League, with original director Zack Snyder's vision for the film premiering four years after its initial release (and it did improve things for those willing to watch a four hour film in the soon dead franchise).

Calls for an Ayer Cut were bolstered as a result, and the director has since released a handful of teases for what that film would entail. "It's an amazing movie, it just scared the s**t out of executives," Ayer said in 2021. "It has traditional character arcs, amazing performances, a solid third act resolution," he added later.

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn is apparently on board with its release too, though when and how it might happen remains to be seen, especially as the company moves away from the DCEU altogether and switches to a new universe.

In our 5/10 review of the original Suicide Squad, IGN said: "Suicide Squad is more like writer-director David Ayer’s flat-footed Fury than his razor-sharp Training Day (which he wrote), making for another unsatisfying entry in the DCEU."