Back in 2016, Joel Kinnamen entered the DCEU with director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Later this summer, Kinnaman is one of the few cast members returning for director James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. And while promoting the new sequel in an interview with Variety, Kinnaman blamed the studio for interfering with Ayer’s original vision for Suicide Squad.
“It had great characters…. I thought the first 40 minutes of the film was f***ing great, and then there [were] conflicting visions and it just didn’t end up being what we all hoped it was, you know? It didn’t feel like the movie that we hoped we were going to make.”
Kinnaman is a lot kinder on the first movie than Ayer has been in recent years. The director has repeatedly accused Warner Bros. of hijacking the film during post-production in a misguided attempt to make it more like Deadpool, which hit theaters earlier that same year. Ayer has also continued to express interest in releasing a director’s cut of the movie à la Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Unfortunately, the studio recently indicated that they won’t be revisiting Ayer’s film anytime soon.
RELATED: First Look at McFarlane Toys The Suicide Squad Movie Figures
Regardless, Kinnaman insists that having a consistent vision from the early stages of pre-production all the way to the finish line is what really distinguishes Gunn’s film from Ayer’s movie. And the result is what Gunn believes to be “James Gunn’s best movie” to date.
“It just takes it to another level,” added Kinnaman. “At the same time, it was very much the movie that I thought it was going to be because the vision was so clear from the beginning.… And while we were shooting it, it was so clear what we were doing. Of course, we were adding a bunch of layers and stuff while we were shooting it. But it’s so entertaining. Of course, [I’m] hopelessly biased, but I found it to be one of the most entertaining films I’ve ever seen.”
The Suicide Squad will hit theaters and HBO Max on August 6.
Do you agree with Kinnaman’s assessment of the original Suicide Squad? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
