Who knew super-villains can be so much fun? David Ayer & Warner Bros did, as they bring you a colourful, funny & action-packed adventure for this summer. And there are some superheroes too, which'll definitely leave you hungry for Justice! (wink-wink)
Highly awaited DC superhero/anti-hero/supervillain film, Suicide Squad released today. Art Shrian talked David Ayer, writer-director of the film. Although a very established Holywood name with films such as End of Watch (2012),Sabotage (2014), and Fury (2014) under his belt; he’s a very cool, sincere and humble man. And very smart too. Here are the excerpts from the conversation :
Art Shrian: Congratulations on the film, i truly enjoyed it. Great action, really funny and lotta fun!
David Ayer: Thanks a lot!
AS: You are known for your gritty, realistic films. As a storyteller, how was it working on a comic-book fantasy film?
DA: I got a lot of help, from some very smart people. Great production designer, a great team. The way I came at it was, what if it was real? How can I make it believable? There are all these crazy fantastical and magical things that happen, in the film. But even the wardrobe and way people look and everything, I wanted to make it as realistic as possible. I wanted it to feel, if people driving through the city see Suicide Squad in an alley, doing their business. To put them in our world. Same thing with joker. You go back to the very first joker comic in the 40s. He’s like this insane gangster. And if it’s that simple, what would an insane gangster look like today? You know. I just try to make it as real as possible. The best way to make it real, is to make characters real people, with lives, and hearts. Make them live and breathe on that screen. And that’s what the actors did.
AS: That’s wonderful. You do have a great cast. And I have to congratulate you on diversity of the film. People make it a “talk”, but you truly made a diverse movie with all colors, genders represented. Congratulations on that. So was that a conscious effort?
DA: Yes, the cast is amazing. But as far as diversity, it’s not that I sit and go, oh gee, I’m gonna cast a diverse movie. I just want the world on screen to look like the world I live in, and the world I grew up in. These are the faces I saw growing up. I grew up in downtown LA, and this is the world I know. I know how important it is. When you’re a kid, and you go to these movie, and nobody looks like you, it’s kinda not fair. It’s not cool!
AS: Well said. Totally agreed. So how was it bringing this amazing cast together. You got big stars, and big names. How did you make it happen?
DA: It was scary, because I really wanted these people. And I didn’t know if I’ll get them. I started seeing the movie in my head, with Will, with Margo, with Jared, and it was lil scary until you get the deal closed. And there was no script. So, they signed up, and there’s still no script. So not only I had to get them to commit to movie, but also to commit, without any script to read. So, I am making a lot of promises to them, “hey, it’s gonna be good, i promise”, but I haven’t written it yet. So, there was a lot of pressure on me, to live up to my promises to them. But I can’t imagine the movie with any other cast.
AS: Yeah, you have totally nailed it with the casting. It’s amazing. You’re also writer of the film. And directing as well, which is completely different process. So, talk to me about the writing process, this being a comic book film and all that.
DA: When you write, you have to shut the world out. I just lock the door and turn off the phone. And you have to ignore everything. Because if you’re thinking about all these things, it’ll kill you. You’ll never make progress. You’ll never start typing. And when you write, you have to be free to make mistakes, cuz you’re not gonna get it right the first time. We started making the movie, before we had the script. We had the sets getting designed etc. It’s scary. But you have to ignore all that. Ignore all the pressure, all the calls, and just write. But it’s also the most important part. Because script is the story. Shooting the movie is the funnest part. I enjoy that the most. But this was a journey. Every step was hard, but every step was rewarding.
AS: I enjoyed it. There’s lot of characters, and a lot going on, but it’s fun. Really funny dialogues, and several great scenes too. As a writer-director, do you write as you direct, or direct as you write? Or you keep it completely separate?
DA: I try and keep them separate. Because to write you have to think a certain way, and to direct, you have to think a different way. And one is totally alone, and one is with people. And it’s really hard for me to go back and forth. But I have gone into my trailer, and written a scene, in middle of lunch. You have to do, when you have to do it. But being a writer-director, is a blessing too, because I can make changes on the set, I can improve things on set, and know how it’ll affect everything. It’s like being able to see the whole map at once.
AS: Cool. I really enjoyed the batman scenes. I would love to see you doing a BATMAN film, or a JUSTICE LEAGUE film. So, what’s next for you?
DA: I’m working on a movie called BRIGHT with Will Smith, and Joel Edgerton. Noomi Rapace is in it too. It’s gonna be pretty crazy, that’s gonna be pretty different.
AS: And the sequel to Suicide Squad
DA: Let’s see how it does (laughs). If people go to see it.
AS: Last question - What’s your least favorite and most favorite thing about New York?
DA: I love being able to walk around. I walked from Brooklyn to midtown yesterday. I love just walking around the city. I love the diversity, and I love seeing all the people, and I love hearing the conversations. But tourists (laughs). You’re trying to walk, and it’s like, they are in your way.
AS: Haha, I’ll have to agree to that. Thanks for talking to us. Congratulations again on the film, and all the best!
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ABOUT SUICIDE SQUAD
From director David Ayer (“Fury,” “End of Watch”) comes “Suicide Squad,” starring Oscar nominee Will Smith (“Ali,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”), Oscar winner Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Focus”), Joel Kinnaman (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) and Oscar nominee Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Doubt”).
It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the SuicideSquad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
Written and directed by Ayer based on the characters from DC Comics, the film also stars Jai Courtney (“Insurgent”), Jay Hernandez (“Takers”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Thor: The Dark World”), Ike Barinholtz (“Neighbors”), Scott Eastwood (“Fury”), Cara Delevingne (“Paper Towns”), Adam Beach (“Cowboys & Aliens”), and Karen Fukuhara in her feature film debut. It is produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.