The SnyderVerse Is Over, And There Will Be No Ayer Cut Of 'Suicide Squad', According To Warner Bros.
After years of demanding it, fans were finally given the fabled Snyder Cut, AKA Zack Snyder's Justice League, last week. You might think that would be enough, but a vocal group of those same fans wants even more. They want Warner Bros. to restore the so-called SnyderVerse by giving Zack Snyder the keys to future DC adaptations. On top of that, some also want to restore David Ayer's preferred cut of Suicide Squad, as that movie was notoriously tinkered-with before it hit theaters.
But according to WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff, there are no plans for any of that. In other words, it really looks like the SnyderVerse is over and done with.
I'll admit I was slightly dubious about the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, primarily because many online members of said movement were needlessly toxic. But you know what? I enjoyed Zack Snyder's Justice League, for the most part. I think it's way too long, and there are several things that just don't work. But overall, the four-hour movie is a fascinating experiment and I'm glad we got to see it. But I can't exactly say I'm clamoring for even more DC films set in Zack Snyder's world. And that's fine because it doesn't look like we're getting any. While the Snyder Cut ends with a pretty big cliffhanger, Warner Bros. is officially done with Snyder's take on the DC heroes.
Speaking with Variety, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff says that they "wanted to give Zack the opportunity to complete his vision in a four-hour movie, which is impossible to do in theaters," but that doesn't mean they're ready to bring Snyder back to make even more DC films. Instead, Sarnoff adds: "We've got an incredible group of creators — television series creators, Max series creators, feature film creators — who are basically broadening the base of the talent that we work with on DC because we're so excited about the potential to build out the DC multiverse."
And when pressed about restoring the SnyderVerse, Sarnoff makes it abundantly clear that there are no plans for that, saying: "I appreciate that they love Zack's work and we are very thankful for his many contributions to DC...With that comes the completion of his trilogy. We're very happy we've done this, but we're very excited about the plans we have for all the multi-dimensional DC characters that are being developed right now."
But what of the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad? Like Justice League, behind-the-scenes shenanigans resulted in the film being changed around before it hit theaters. The story goes that David Ayer's version of the film was altered after viewers reacted positively to a comedic trailer that played at Comic-Con. As good as that trailer was, it did not reflect the film itself. Warner Bros. got nervous about all of this and actually brought in the team that edited the trailer to recut the film itself, as well as ordering reshoots to change the film's tone. The end result is a movie that pretty much everyone agrees was a major disappointment. The Suicide Squad will live on with James Gunn's upcoming sequel/quasi-reboot, but will WB give Ayer's Suicide Squad the same treatment as Zack Snyder's Justice League? Nope! As Sarnoff bluntly puts it: "We won't be developing David Ayer's cut."
So there you have it. I'm sure there will be some fans unhappy about all of this, but I personally think it's all for the best. I'm glad that Snyder was able to deliver his preferred vision of Justice League, but I'm also ready for WB and DC to move on to new things.