David Ayer would chose Superman if given his choice…
[dropcap size=small]S[/dropcap]uicide Squad isn’t getting the critical reception anyone had hoped but it is consistent with the reactions to the two other movies set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Most reviews have been even more scathing than the responses to Batman v Superman (BvS) and its predecessor, Man of Steel (MoS). The DCEU has somehow made a habit of producing mildly entertaining movies, with few too many elements worth appreciating, not to mention disjointed narratives. These characters are proven commodities and with such insane cannon and storied characters to draw from it has been appalling to see the results. Regardless, the DCEU will continue and people should be optimistic because negativity is exhausting.
JoBlo spoke to the director and co-writer of Suicide Squad while he was on his press tour for the film. When asked which DC character Ayer would like the opportunity to work on:
“If everything was on the table? I love Superman, I think Superman would be amazing. There’s so many; it’s such an insanely rich universe, there’s so much depth to it. You could literally open up the encyclopedia of characters and stab your finger at a page and you’d have an amazing character.”
What Ayer is saying is undoubtedly true. You could stab your finger at a DC encyclopedia and find a great character. However, somehow, the talent involved in the DCEU has yet to tell an amazing story with these amazing characters. Blame cannot be attributed to any one person, not David Ayer, and not even Zack Snyder. Zack Snyder is impressive visually and has generated billions at the box office, David Ayer has received critical acclaim in the past. Failure is not on the shoulders of one man or woman. It will not be fixed by one man or woman. Collectively, the people in charge of this franchise need to stop rushing these productions. Amazing characters need compelling narrative and to do that on film requires complex planning. Many of the DCEU problems would seemingly have been fixed if the productions had more time to write, edit, or even plan. Suicide Squad was underway before BvS even released and filming on Justice League started while people were still exhausted from complaining or arguing about BvS.
David Ayer’s previous work has been much better than his latest project, Suicide Squad. There are posts around the internet already that chronicle the troubles from the movie’s production. Despite this Ayer is gifted and if given the proper resources and time he could likely make a better Superman movie than MoS. The director said that the version of Suicide Squad being released is “his cut” but rumours suggest that Ayer was interfered with and was also ill-prepared to tackle the enormous summer blockbuster. Expectations for comic book adaptations can be insurmountable. It can be a tightrope walk between meeting fanboy expectations while somehow achieving a refreshing take on decades old characters, and while teetering back and forth on that tightrope, structured narrative and the nuances that impress critics are fumbled. Especially when you’re hurried across the rope like the DCEU has done with its films.
Then again, those involved with the DCEU keep preaching that their films are for the fans and critics are not their intended audience. Maybe they could start making good movies for everyone, and maybe a David Ayer Superman movie would be it. Maybe.
Head to JoBlo to read the rest of the interview, including David Ayer’s thoughts on BvS.
Would you be interested in David Ayer’s take on Superman? Let us know in the comments below!
Suicide Squad premiered August 5th, 2016.
