Director David Ayer shared renewed optimism with fans that his cut of 2016's Suicide Squad will make its way to the masses after sitting for years on the shelf.Ayer shared his hopes for the movie's eventual release over Twitter in an exchange with a fan who asked about the status of the original cut. The conversation started when he retweeted a tweet from Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn regarding famous cover songs. Ayer described Gunn in amicable terms and reaffirmed his interest in seeing his Suicide Squad make its debut someday. "He's always been a good guy," Ayer wrote. "Has been incredibly respectful to me. As far as my cut - Of course I want it seen. And I believe there's a real shot at it. It just won't be tomorrow."RELATED: Suicide Squad's Reviews Left David Ayer "Gun Shy" about Going Into Bright

Gunn, who rebooted 2016's Suicide Squad with 2021's The Suicide Squad and is now co-chair of DC Studios, has acknowledged the hashtag campaign #ReleaseTheAyerCut demanding that Warner Bros. release Ayer's original version of the initial, 2016. He has said he and Warner Bros. producer Peter Safran are committed to completing future DC Universe projects, but were open to further discussing Ayer's cut with fans.

Will the Ayer Cut Be Released?

Online efforts by fans to convince Warner Bros. to release Ayer's cut of Suicide Squad followed fans' successful campaign to release director Zack Snyder's cut of 2017's Justice League. Snyder has voiced his support for the release of Ayer's cut, as have Suicide Squad actors Joel Kinnaman, Will Smith and Margot Robbie, among others.

RELATED: Suicide Squad Star Says Ayer Cut Gave His Character 'A Lot More Love'

It's unclear just how different Ayer's cut of Suicide Squad is from the original movie. Editor Kevin Hickman described the cut as a "Black Hawk Down type thing" and a "darker film" than the theatrical version fans got in 2016. Suicide Squad did get an extended cut for its home release, adding another 13 minutes of footage -- including Harley Quinn's flashbacks and the Joker's escape from Arkham Asylum.

Suicide Squad was released in 2016 to scathing reviews, despite bringing in $746 million worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie earned a 26 percent positive rating and a score of 40 out of 100 on Metacritic. In 2021, Gunn's The Suicide Squad debuted to rave reviews, but lost millions at the box office. It took in $168 million on an $185 million budget, despite nabbing a 90 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic. Many attributed its lackluster ticket sales to the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering movie theaters, its day-and-date availability on the HBO Max streaming service and its connection to the previous Suicide Squad movie.

Source: Twitter