David Ayer Shares Unreleased SUICIDE SQUAD Concept Art Featuring The Joker and Enchantress
Director David Ayer recently took to X to share unreleased concept art for his 2016 DC film Suicide Squad. The art offers alternate designs for the Joker and Enchantress.
The Joker concept art shows a tattoo-free version of Jared Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime, with purple smoke swirling around the character and a mountain of skulls. As you might imagine, someone criticized Ayer for sharing the art, saying:
“See. I like when famous producers and directors try ro back track their horrifc mistakes with Oops what i meant to do with blank is And suddenly its a different thing that is mich better. We all know that wasnt the original. You just f*ed up.”
The director responded saying he was just merely sharing concept art.
“It ain’t that deep. The idea was Enchantress was altering the reality around her and changing the environment. The Joker image is a simple take on that concept.”
He then shared the concept art of Enchantress altering reality. Ya gotta love the ridiculousness of fandom sometimes. It’s ok just to enjoy the things like this that artists and filmmakers share with us!
Ayer has been talking about his Suicide Squad Director’s Cut for years. As you know, the theatrical cut of the film was not the version of the film that Ayer wanted to release, that was all Warner Bros. He already explained that the audience and critical response to films such as Batman v Superman and Deadpool are to blame for his vision of Suicide Squad being changed.
When talking about the film, Ayer said: “My cut would be easy to complete. It would be incredibly cathartic for me. It’s exhausting getting your ass kicked for a film that got the Edward Scissorhands treatment. The film I made has never been seen.”
It was explained that his version of the film had “a lot more Joker including a big fight with him in the subway.” It’s also said that the beginning of the movie “wasn’t edited like a music video, as all of the flashbacks happened in chronological order.” One of the most important aspects of his original cut was that there was “a very different and clear tone to the Joker and Harley’s relationship, which actually fits better with the opening of Birds of Prey.”
When it comes to Leto’s performance, a fan shared how Leto’s Joker was the biggest letdown since Crystal Pepsi, to which Ayer responded: “That’s what happens when you hack a performance and character arc to pieces. I’m sorry that’s all you were allowed to see. Now your mind is closed to the truth.” Leto’s Joker was said to be terrifying.
When previously talking about the movie and responding to another disgruntled fan, Ayer said that James Gunn told him the movie would have its time to be shared. He said:
"What's your advice on how to navigate this situation with grace? There's a genuine curiosity and interest from a lot of people, and I'm aware of there is another group of people that have fun mocking the film. Your comment is a perfect example of how many are magnetically drawn [to] discussion to the 2016 film in a negative way. Have you ever had an experience in life that didn't [turn out] the way you wanted, that dragged you, that made you rethink everything? I have."
"All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being shown seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have its time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects. In a way I'm chained to this thing. I'm riding a tiger here and navigating this situation the best I can. Life is a very strange journey."
What are your thoughts on all of this stuff? Do you enjoy getting more details about the original vision that Ayer had for the film?