David Ayer is hearing all the negative reviews about his film “Suicide Squad,” and wishes he had a “time machine” to change a few things.
“Wish I had a time machine,” he wrote in a note on Twitter Saturday. “I’d make Joker the main villain and engineer a more grounded story. I have to take the good and bad and learn from it. I love making movies and I love DC [Comics]. I’m a high school dropout and used to paint houses for a living. I’m lucky to have the job I have. I have to give the characters the stories and plots they deserve. Real talk.”
The letter was posted in response to user @PensFanboy, who tweeted, “so thankful for suicide squad @DavidAyerMovies exactly the way it is. It’s a masterpiece, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!”
The director added, “I know it’s a controversial film, I really tried to make something different, with a look and feel of its own. I took inspiration from the insanity of the original comics. Making a movie is a journey, not a straight line. I learned so much.”
Acknowledging the film “has its flaws,” he added that “nothing hurts more than to pick up a newspaper and see a couple years of your blood, sweat and tears ripped to shreds. The hate game is strong out there.”
“And no,” he concluded, “there isn’t a secret edit of the film with a bunch of Joker scenes hidden in a salt mine somewhere.”
“Suicide Squad” was widely panned by critics, who criticized the plot, directing and screenplay, although Will Smith and Margot Robbie’s performances received praise.
Still, the film grossed over $745.6 million worldwide. It starred Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis and Joel Kinnaman.
See Ayer’s full note below.
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) January 21, 2017