The original script for David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad has supposedly leaked online, and the question arises: Is it any better? Not necessarily. Although the draft is more coherent than the one we got, and features payoff for characters that didn’t add much to the theatrical version, it still has its issues.
For instance, Batman saying Deadshot’s daughter will have grey hair by the time he sees her again, seems wildly out of character, even more so than him cornering Deadshot in a dark alley in front of his daughter. But one of the biggest changes, as most would’ve presumed, is Joker’s involvement in the overall plot, and according to the supposed leaked script, he’d have been one of the main villains.
David Ayer’s Original Vision Had Joker Teaming Up With Enchantress
For all the marketing surrounding Jared Leto‘s iteration of the clown prince of crime, which was set up to be a flashy mob boss, the theatrical version sidelined him midway through the story. However, as the leaked script goes, he would’ve joined forces with Enchantress in the end, why? Because he would love to watch “six billion souls ripped to shreds”
It’s important to note that Enchantress’ main motive in the original script was to free her father, which would explain the skybeam in the theatrical cut. Moreover, Katana’s sword, which always had Rick Flagg’s back (until The Suicide Squad arrived), remains everyone’s priority.
Upon Enchantress’ command, Joker asks the squad to “give the woman the sword”, and Harley, like the theatrical version, appears to side with Enchantress, which seems more believable because of Joker’s involvement.
And arguably, in one of the best moments in the script, she finally breaks free of Joker’s abusive grip, which is more explicit in this version, and slices Enchantress with the sword, ripping her heart out in the process. The rest plays out the same as the theatrical cut, for the most part.
Can the Ayer Cut Redeem the Trainwreck That Was Suicide Squad?
For everything interesting about the third act, certainly an improvement from the theatrical cut, the script is still riddled with many issues. From Joker being described as big and muscular with washboard abs, to Batman’s character assassination, and an extended focus on the Navy Seals, further takes the focus away from an already crowded experience.
Is it darker and grittier than the original? Sure, but dark doesn’t always equate to better (cough cough Zod’s snapped neck). This isn’t a Snydercut situation, as many of the complaints regarding the theatrical experience still exist in this version, if not worse in certain cases.
| Movie | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Box Office |
| Suicide Squad | 5.9 | 26% | $749M |
Given how disastrous the 2016 release was for the Suicide Squad IP and the DCEU as a whole, which even impacted the commercial reception of James Gunn‘s acclaimed The Suicide Squad, there’s no point in realizing this vision now.
Then again, WB was indeed in the wrong for robbing Ayer of his original vision, and maybe in the distant future, a potential Ayer cut could serve as a curiosity, a long-lost remnant of a once-struggling cinematic universe.
Do you want the Ayer cut to be realized?
Suicide Squad is currently streaming on HBO Max (USA).
