When ‘Suicide Squad’ hit theaters back in August, the film’s polarizing critical reception was followed by rumors about competing cuts and speculation that it might ultimately be given a director’s cut Blu-ray release (similar to the treatment received by ‘Batman v Superman’ just a few months earlier). This seemed to have been put to bed when director David Ayer indirectly addressed the rumors in a number of interviews, stating that he stood by the film and that the theatrical version was “his cut”. But despite Ayer’s comments, Warner announced this morning that an extended cut of ‘Suicide Squad’ would be included with the film’s home video release.
While Warner has yet to make public any detailed information on exactly what scenes are going to be added to the film or the runtime of the new cut, they have released a brief teaser to coincide with the announcement. Though there isn’t a great deal of new footage being showcased in the teaser, there is enough to get a sense of what is being added to this new cut. In particular, the studio appears to be addressing two specific audience responses to the theatrical cut, namely the largely positive reaction received by Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and the widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of screen time devoted to Jared Leto’s version of the Joker. At a bare minimum, it seems that the extended cut will spend more time on Harley’s origin.
#SuicideSquad Extended Cut. Spread the word. pic.twitter.com/lNPjUqieVt
— Suicide Squad (@SuicideSquadWB) October 5, 2016
It will be interesting to see if these extended cuts become standard practice for Warner’s superhero films. Not only would it provide yet another way for them to set their offerings apart from Marvel’s, it would also provide an added incentive for fans to buy the film. It is also worth noting that the two DC films that have been given extended cut releases have been remarkably divisive in responses from audiences. This practice could just as easily be an effort by the studio to “save” the films on home video.
The extended cut of ‘Suicide Squad’ will be released via digital platforms on November 15, 2016, with a Blu-ray release following in December 13.
