The legacy of comic book movies has always been somewhat peculiar, with Fantastic Four reboots occurring roughly every decade since the 1990s, as io9 recently pointed out. However, the case of DC’s The Suicide Squad is a unique anomaly. David Ayer’s film was released in 2016 and received underwhelming results, whereas James Gunn’s Suicide Squad, a sort-of sequel, performed significantly better in 2021. Prior to the release of Gunn’s film, Ayer spoke out about how the theatrical version of his movie did not accurately represent his original vision, a topic he has revisited over the years, including recently.

To provide context, 2021 was the year Zack Snyder’s Justice League, also known as the “Snyder cut,” was finally released after considerable fan pressure and a substantial investment from Warner Bros. When Ayer initially mentioned the idea of an “Ayer cut” of The Suicide Squad, it did not seem entirely implausible. However, the film industry has undergone significant changes since 2021, with Gunn now serving as co-head of DC Studios and Warner Bros. being more focused on cost-cutting than ever before.

In early 2024, Gunn discussed his The Suicide Squad cut with the Hollywood Reporter, stating that he had spoken to Ayer about it when he took over at DC but had not received any updates since. “I can take the hint. It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill,” he remarked, emphasizing that he had moved on to other projects.

In a recent interview with THR, Ayer revisited those comments. Although he stated that he had not received any recent updates from the studio (“When I spoke with James [Gunn], he wanted to first get some scores on the board. DC has its history and legacy, and it’s taking some work to reestablish that IP and get it moving in the direction they want. So it’s absolutely fair for them to do that”), he also added a hint of “never say never.”

“Maybe with enough time, it’ll be seen as a more nostalgic thing. But just for the sake of everybody that worked on [2016’s Suicide Squad], it really does deserve to be seen,” Ayer said. “I am incredibly proud of the work I did there. But at the same time, it’s not my IP, and it’s not my studio. So I absolutely understand what James is doing, and I think he’s going to have some real successes with the lanes he’s going down.”

It’s clear that Ayer has a good relationship with Gunn, which might influence the decision to revisit The Suicide Squad in the future. So, how different would Ayer’s version have been? He explained: “A lot of the major elements got vetoed early on. The bake-off was then my version of their cut and their version of their cut. My version mostly won, but it still was not the movie I made at all.”

What do you think: should the Ayer cut be released, or should The Suicide Squad be left alone?

For more io9 news, check out the upcoming release dates for Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, as well as what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and all the information you need about the future of Doctor Who.