Director
David Ayer
January 18, 1968 · Champaign, Illinois, USA
David Ayer (born January 18, 1968) is an American filmmaker known for making crime films that are set in Los Angeles and deal with gangs and police corruption. His screenplays include Training Day (2001), The Fast and the Furious (2001), and S.W.A.T. (2003). He has also directed Harsh Times (2005), Street Kings (2008), End of Watch (2012), Sabotage (2014), and The Beekeeper (2024). In 2016, he directed the superhero movie Suicide Squad from the DC Extended Universe and then the urban fantasy film Bright (2017) for Netflix. He has twice collaborated with actor Shia LaBeouf: first with the World War II drama Fury (2014), then the crime thriller The Tax Collector (2020). He has also collaborated with his friend Cle Shaheed Sloan, who has appeared in four of his films.
Notable work
5.9Suicide Squad (2016)
Writer and Director
7.5Fury (2014)
Director and Writer
7.5Training Day (2001)
as First Russian Hitman (uncredited)
6.2Bright (2017)
Director and Writer
7.3The Beekeeper (2024)
Director
7.4End of Watch (2012)
Director
6.7A Working Man (2025)
Director
6.7Street Kings (2008)
as NLR member in County Jail (uncredited) and Director
5.6Sabotage (2014)
Director and Writer
6.4Harsh Times (2005)
Director and Writer
5.7The Tax Collector (2020)
Director
Often works with
Michael Monks
4 titles together
Street Kings, Street Kings, Sabotage
Will Smith
3 titles together
Suicide Squad, Bright, DC Films Presents Dawn of the Justice League
David Harbour
3 titles together
Suicide Squad, End of Watch, A Working Man
Michael Peña
3 titles together
Fury, End of Watch, A Working Man
Noel Gugliemi
3 titles together
Training Day, Street Kings, Harsh Times
Cle Sloan
3 titles together
End of Watch, Street Kings, The Tax Collector
Full filmography · 15
The Dirty Dozen
Director
Upcoming
Heart of the Beast
Director
2026
A Working Man
Director
20256.7
The Beekeeper
Director
20247.3
The Tax Collector
Director
20205.7
Bright
Director and Writer
20176.2
Suicide Squad
Writer and Director
20165.9
DC Films Presents Dawn of the Justice League
cast
20166
Fury
Director and Writer
20147.5
Sabotage
Director and Writer
20145.6
End of Watch
Director
20127.4
Street Kings
as NLR member in County Jail (uncredited) and Director
20086.7