Over the past couple of weeks, there has been increased discussion regarding Director’s Cuts of DC superhero films, thanks in no small part to HBO Max’s upcoming 2021 release of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” We’ve seen the discussion include David Ayer and his much-maligned “Suicide Squad,” and now, Cathy Yan and “Birds of Prey.” However, in the latter’s case, it appears the filmmaker has no interest in hearing rumors regarding what was cut from her version of the superhero film from earlier this year.
The idea that Warner Bros. interfered in Yan’s “Birds of Prey” is nothing new. As seen in the cases of “Justice League” and “Suicide Squad,” the studio is seemingly unafraid to make wholesale changes to films if there’s a perceived issue. So, when Cathy Yan tweeted her support for David Ayer and his displeasure with “Suicide Squad,” fans and at least one film journalist took that as confirmation of long-standing rumors.
Yan tweeted, “Sorry this happened to you, David. I know your pain.”
READ MORE: David Ayer Says His Version Of ‘Suicide Squad’ “Has Never Been Seen”
This tweet was quickly retweeted by Grace Randolph, a YouTuber/film journalist, who used Yan’s words as a confirmation of an earlier rumor she was the first to reveal.
“I told u guys, massive reshoots largely to take out ‘dick pics’ storyline & add more action via Chad Stahelski,” tweeted Randolph. She would later tweet more about the rumor, which Randolph claims involves scenes in the film where the villain, played by Ewan McGregor, is unhappy about the size of his penis on a nude statue art piece. Apparently, this leads to pictures of the statue’s penis being saved and then saved on a drive, subsequently swallowed by Cassandra Cain.
But that tweet was enough for Yan to strike back and refute everything Randolph said regarding “Birds of Prey.”
“Excuse me, you have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s fascinating you would deem to try when you weren’t part of the process whatsoever,” Yan replied.
After another comment from Randolph about how “no reporter is every part of the process,” the filmmaker spoke out even more about the ridiculousness of the “dick pics” scene rumors.
READ MORE: ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Raises Questions About Fandom & The Future Of Film
“And I thank you for the support,” Yan said. “But let’s set the record straight: there were never dick pics. You peddling a pedophilia rumor is not journalism. Peddling any gossip is not journalism. I know. I was one.”
Yan’s issue seems to stem from the aftermath of Randolph’s earlier “report” about the dick pics storyline. The journalist’s video led to a number of posts aiming to take down “Birds of Prey” because of the “pedophilia” that is shown in the film (with 14-year-old Cain swallowing “dick pics ” of an older man). It’s a stupid, ridiculous leap of logic. “Birds of Prey,” like “Captain Marvel” and “Black Panther” before it, was the target of toxic fandom, who looked to spin every rumor to fit their political agenda. This time, showing how a female-led superhero film was bad for the industry because of the storyline that was featured.
READ MORE: ‘Birds Of Prey’ Director Cathy Yan Is Disappointed Over Box Office Narratives
You can look at the entire tweet thread below, but it’s clear that Yan is upset with how journalists that report on “scoops” with very little truth to them have tried to steer the conversation regarding her recent film. And even though it’s fairly obvious that Yan isn’t completely thrilled with WB’s interference with her film (her original tweet is filled with “read between the lines” sentiment), she’s sick of people misreporting the facts.
We’ll just have to see if the groundswell of support for Yan’s original vision for “Birds of Prey” will lead to yet another Director’s Cut of a recent DCEU film. I mean, crazier things have happened, right?
“Birds of Prey,” which is a really fun, entertaining superhero film, is available now on VOD.