Suicide Squad is full of bad guys and mayhem but the MPAA announced today that the film received a PG-13 rating for “sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, and suggestive content and language. David Ayer, who directed Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie in the big screen adaptation of the DC Comic, said he planned for the rating while shooting.
“For an R movie, you have to decide to do it right out the gate, and that was never the case here,” Ayer told MTV News at CinemaCon. “We were always going to hit the PG-13 rating. But the film is meant to be that. It’s got edge, and it’s got attitude. And it’s got its own voice… There’s a lot in the film that’s going to surprise people.”
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Filmmakers have taken notice of Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds that brought in a total of $1,135M worldwide with an R rating but that’s the exception, not the rule. But things can change if moviegoers are willing to pay to see films with an R rating. Ayer said shooting for a Suicide sequel pushing the rating to the next level, “would be worth lobbying for.”
Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5th.