When fans flocked to see “Suicide Squad,” they were likely expecting strong action sequences, a few jokes and a cast of colorful characters ― including plenty of scenes with Jared Leto’s Joker. At least in the eyes of critics, the film failed to deliver on pretty much all of those fronts.
Leto’s green-haired iteration of the Joker only showed up onscreen for about 15 minutes in total, which had many moviegoers confused, considering the bad guy was a huge part of the film’s marketing campaign. (One angry fan even wants to sue Warner Bros. for “false advertising.”)
The actor has already admitted that a bunch of his scenes were cut from the film. In fact, he said that so much material was cut, “there’s probably enough footage in this film for a Joker movie.”
Now, Margot Robbie ― who plays Harley Quinn, the Joker’s accomplice and love interest ― has opened up about why she thinks the studio opted to cut all those scenes, many of which she appeared in, too.
In an interview with the YouTube talk show “Tipsy Talk,” the Australian actress explained: “[The studio] probably realized that the emotional through-line of the story had to be the mission that we were on, explaining the Enchantress’ position and all that kind of stuff.”
“The [Harley and Joker] backstory stuff, though it’s magic and some of the stuff we shot was insane, they are flashbacks … so there’s a lot, but it just didn’t make sense to confuse the present storyline to incorporate all that.”
But, according to The Hollywood Reporter, there may be a different, and more logical, reason for the cuts.
Throughout filming, director David Ayers reportedly clashed with executives at Warner Bros. One concern on the Warner side was that the final “Suicide Squad” cut didn’t live up to the edgy, fun movie teased in its first trailer. THR reports that, while Ayer continued to create the film based on his original dark vision, Warner went about working on a different cut with Trailer Park, the company behind the teaser. According to THR, multiple other editors were also brought in to work on the film.
Prior to the film’s release, two versions were tested with audiences in California. The first was Ayer’s somber vision, while the second presented the lighter take favored by the studio. After looking through feedback, Ayer reportedly agreed to compromise and blend elements of both versions together, as the studio-favored film came out on top. However, finding that common ground didn’t come cheap. According to CinemaBlend, the film’s reshoots cost tens of millions of dollars.
While negative reviews suggest those reshoots may have been for nothing, the film’s impressive $135 million box office debut proves otherwise.
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