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Is ‘Suicide Squad’ In Trouble? Major Reshoots Fixed Third Act, Warner Bros Overhaul Squeezes Out Zack Snyder

By Gregory Wakeman
Published on: 03:10 PST, May 18, 2016

It’s no secret that Suicide Squad underwent reshoots over the last few weeks. It was previously assumed that only minor additions were being made to the film, but it’s now been revealed that “major additional photography” was conducted, some of which was done to fix the third act of the film.

The Hollywood Reporter alleged that Warner Bros. is still “working to smooth out the third act of Suicide Squad” in order “to make sure audiences’ expectations are not only met but exceeded.”

The publication’s sources also noted that the “major additional photography” was done “not to add humor” but “to clear up the issues.”

But while all of this might sound quite drastic and last minute, especially when you consider that Suicide Squad’s release date is now under three months away, reshoots and days, sometimes even weeks, of additional photography are commonplace on major studio releases.

Pretty much every single Marvel film undergoes such reshoots, which is understandable when you consider that they are constantly evolving and developing their cinematic universe, which they then like to tease in each installment.

But while Marvel Studios has perfected the art of additional photography and continue to achieve remarkable success (Captain America: Civil War will probably cross the $1 billion mark this week, and its 13 films have already made over $10 billion), Warner Bros. is still clearly finding its feet with their DC Extended Universe.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was not only critically savaged upon its release — it only scored 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — but it failed to chime with an audience in the manner that Warner Bros. expected; it took in just $869.9 million at the box office.

However, there are hopes that Suicide Squad will help to rectify the damage that Zack Snyder’s blockbuster hybrid has done to the DC Extended Universe. The reactions to Suicide Squad’s trailers have been hugely positive, and it’s more than likely that the reshoots have been conducted to try and build upon this appeal.

But the mixed response to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has led to a reshuffle over at Warner Bros., where they’ve now augmented a new executive strategy to develop its DC Extended Universe. This has included slightly replicating Marvel’s model, as Jon Berg and Geoff Johns have now been hired to co-run DC Films, which is a new dedicated division for their comic book films.

Geoff Johns, who is DC’s Chief Content Officer, has been brought in to use his intimate and deep knowledge of the DC comic book slate to help mold the studio’s output in the genre. Warner Bros. are clearly hoping that he can replicate the success that Kevin Feige has had over at Marvel Studios in a similar position.

Johns has previously proven by launching DC’s television output, which has included the currently thriving Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, and Supergirl, that he has a good handle on what audiences are pining for, but it’ll now be interesting to see if he can make the ascent to the big screen.

Meanwhile, the promotion of Jon Berg, who has already worked on the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League, suggests that the studio are looking to keep Ben Affleck very much involved in the DC Extended Universe.

Berg has worked alongside Affleck on both Argo and Live By Night, which has been written, directed, and stars Affleck and will be released by Warner Bros. in 2017, while Geoff Johns himself has co-written the next solo Batman film alongside Affleck, too.

All of which suggests that the hugely divisive Zack Snyder is now being squeezed out by the studio.

[Image via Warner Bros.]

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