‘Suicide Squad’ Will Not Be R-Rated


Deadpool’s box office success means that studios now know that R-rated comic-book adaptations can be just as successful as their PG-13 rivals.

It also means that Hollywood is likely to now try and replicate the success of Deadpool by making copy-cat projects. In fact there’s already been rumors that Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice will release an R-rated director’s cut.

Obviously, since Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is now just over two weeks away from release, the possibility of it being re-edited for a more mature audience was always remote. But what about Suicide Squad?

Not only is Suicide Squad supposed to be a much edgier film than Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, mostly because of its cast of rather despicable characters, but since its release date of August 5, 2016, it is still several months away so there is still time to make the necessary adjustments to make it an R-rated film.

However, Suicide Squad producer Charles Roven has quickly shot down any discussions that the blockbuster will have an R-rating. Insisting that the plan is still to go with the PG-13. Roven explained the plan to Entertainment Weekly.

“I think right now we’re going for the PG-13. I don’t know that that’s going to materially change. We can give that movie the edge that it needs and still maintain a PG-13.”

That is probably the most sensible approach to take. While Deadpool’s hugely impressive box office performance, which has seen it gross the eye-watering sum of over $673 million in just over three weeks, means that studios might be tempted to try and immediately replicate its success, the fact that Suicide Squad was shot and developed for PG-13 means that it should be released as such.

Trying to make changes to change its rating seems completely unnecessary and would probably only cause more harm than good. In fact, the recent rumor that Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice would receive an R-rating Director’s Cut was met with a mixed response for those very reasons.

Ben Affleck admitted to Entertainment Weekly that he is also for different versions of superhero films being released at different times, insisting that it’s a fresh way of keeping the genre alive and vibrant.

“These movies have definitely evolved from being comic books for children aimed at kids,” Affleck explained. “Now they’re the most mainstream movies made, the most successful, the most widely viewed movies these days. Clearly there’s a big enough audience. I think it’s cool. Why not have an R-rated version that you release for download or on DVD later? I think that’s smart.”

Ben Affleck has a vested interest in these kind of details too. That’s because the Oscar-winning screenwriter, who picked up the award for his work on Good Will Hunting, has been long linked with directing a stand-alone Batman film in the DC movie universe.

At the moment, Warner Bros. haven’t even confirmed that they have plans for a stand-alone Batman film. But since Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises together grossed around $2.4 billion when they were released over the last decade, the character’s popularity with mainstream audiences means that another solo film for him is a distinct possibility.

Obviously that will all depend on the success of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. But with Hollywood tracking reporting that the superhero film is on course to gross $140 million in its opening weekend, it’s likely that Warner Bros. will quickly decide to green-light a Batman film soon after.

[Image via Warner Bros.]

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