‘Suicide Squad’ Is Getting an Extended Cut

Drew Dietsch
Movies
Movies

It’s clear to many that the theatrical version of Suicide Squad was very compromised. The jumbled and rushed first act felt choppy, and a lot of material was either rearranged or excised entirely. Just a little over a month ago, I discussed why Suicide Squad deserved an alternate cut when it came to home video. Well, seems like someone at Warner Bros. was listening.

The Suicide Squad Twitter account announced that an extended cut will add an additional 13 minutes onto the film’s running time. Check out the announcement teaser featuring footage not found in the theatrical version.

There’s quite a lot of new bits in that teaser, especially where it pertains to the Joker and Harley Quinn. Fans were clamoring for more of this diabolical duo and it sounds like Warner Bros. is going to deliver. However, it’s very telling that this is being called an “extended cut.” Supposedly, there was a cut of the film that was structured differently and had a harder edge to its tone. Is this new version going to reintegrate some of that?

Fans will be happy with more Suicide Squad but they also want to see a radically different version than what Warner Bros released for the big screen. Plugging in some deleted scenes and extending the movie is great, but it would be really wild if we could have completely different versions of Suicide Squad to compare and contrast. Think about films like Blade RunnerWatchmenKingdom of HeavenOnce Upon a Time in AmericaHeaven’s Gate, or Superman II. These are films with drastically different director’s cuts that allow fans to see a myriad of interpretations to a story they love. If this extended cut of Suicide Squad is just the theatrical cut with some added scenes thrown in, Warner Bros. would be wise to let David Ayer release a version dubbed “alternate cut” or even “director’s cut.”

Still, this is cause for excitement for those of us who dug Suicide Squad. More of this film is not a bad thing at all. The extended cut of Suicide Squad will be released on Digital HD on Nov. 15 with a Blu-ray release on Dec. 13.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.