For years now, Suicide Squad director David Ayer has distanced himself from the version of the movie that Warner Bros. released in 2016, saying he had other plans before studio executives made changes. Ayer has maintained that his version is superior, and now the director has suggested an “Ayer cut” might see the light of day now that James Gunn is a co-head of DC Studios.

Writing on Twitter, Ayer said, “Have you ever had an experience in life that didn’t until the way you wanted, that dragged you, that made you rethink everything? I have.” He added: “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release.”

Ayer went on to say he believes there is a “real and organic” interest in seeing his cut of Suicide Squad be released one day. The director added that Gunn himself told him that the Ayer cut “would have its time to be shared,” but it might not happen soon. Ayer said he doesn’t want any drama about his 2016 film to take away from what Gunn and Peter Safran are trying to achieve at DC Studios going forward.

“[Gunn] absolutely deserves to launch to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects,” Ayer said. “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. Welcome to my Ted talk.”

In 2021, Ayer made his feelings known about Suicide Squad, saying “the studio cut is not my movie.” He stated that the cold reception of Batman v Superman and the great success of the lighter and more comedic Deadpool led to the cuts and changes to Suicide Squad.

Despite less-than-great reviews, Suicide Squad was a box office smash, bringing in more than $745 million at the global box office. It also won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The movie starred Jared Leto as Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.

Another movie, The Suicide Squad, was released in 2021, bringing back Robbie as Quinn and Davis as Waller. The cast also included Idris Elba as Bloodsport and John Cena as Peacemaker. Gunn wrote and directed the movie, which earned $168.7 million at the box office. The low box office numbers are attributable to the pandemic and how The Suicide Squad was also released on streaming for day one.

2016’s Suicide Squad reportedly featured a lot more Joker scenes that got cut. Leto has said, “There’s so much that we shot that’s not in the film.”