The making of ‘Suicide Squad’ was even more chaotic than anyone realized
Warner Bros.
“Suicide Squad.”
The making of “Suicide Squad” was as unfocused and disjointed as the movie turned out to be.
In a behind-the-scenes look at the production, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that major decisions about the tone and structure were made by the movie’s studio Warner Bros. in response to the negative reaction to WB’s previous superhero movie, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
This included the studio hiring the company Trailer Park, which was behind the popular “Suicide Squad” trailers, to cut a version of the full movie while director David Ayer was cutting his own version.
“Kevin was really pissed about damage to the brand,” a source told THR, referring to Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara’s response to negative “Batman v Superman” press.
In May, Ayer’s more “somber version,” as THR calls it, and the studio’s “lighter” version were screened to test audiences in Northern California. The studio’s version with more characters introduced earlier in the movie and dazzling graphics won out, though Ayer was cooperative with the process, according to THR.
This is just the latest example of a blockbuster movie that seemed to have a lack of focus.
Warner Bros.
(R) “Suicide Squad” director David Ayer.
Ayer only had six weeks to write the script in order to stay on production schedule for the planned release date. And there were reshoots to give the movie the more fun tone that couldn’t be accomplished by the Trailer Park edit.
“Suicide Squad” star Jai Courtney told Business Insider that the reshoot stories were overblown, however.
“The rumors around us having to inject levity into it and all this s—,” Courtney said. “It was silly because the movie already had all that.”
Though he did admit that the ending was redone.
“We were just doing stuff with Enchantress,” he said. “We did things that introduced stuff earlier that they wanted to get rid of basically. Changing her ability to engage with the squad, they enhanced that interaction. It was normal. It was strengthening the ending. The original [ending] we shot was dope, it was just adding to it, not doing an alternative.”
Reshoots are fairly common on large-budget films, but regardless of what was added after principal photography, it looked to have taken a toll on Ayer. He was directing his first tentpole. In June, he fired his longtime agent at CAA, though the agency won him back a day later.
“He was under a lot — a lot — of pressure,” a source told THR.
Ayer has stayed positive in public. He took part in the film’s press junket and responded to the negative reviews with these tweets:
Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas – Emiliano Zapata
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016
Zapata quote is my way of saying I love the movie and believe in it. Made it for the fans. Best experience of my life. ❤️
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016
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