Suicide Squad isn’t even out yet but the buzz on the film is already immense. Maybe it’s because of the failures of Batman V Superman or maybe it’s because of Jared Leto’s on-set antics or maybe it’s because people want a superhero film with bite and humor and a rock n’ roll attitude but a lot of people are really ready for David Ayer’s movie.
And it seems Ayer is into the idea of the making the sequel a bit edgier. Speaking with MTV, the director said that while Suicide Squad is certainly a PG-13 film (though he claims “there’s a lot in the film that’s going to surprise people”) the sequel might not be.
Here’s Ayer talking about the movie’s rating:
“For an R movie, you have to decide to do it right out the gate, and that was never the case here. 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.”
Ayer then said an R-rated sequel would be something “worth lobbying for.” While he’s not coming right out and saying it’ll happen, he’d be into it. That’s music to the ears of fans who want Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Boomerang and the rest of the crew to be as violent and manical as possible.
Ayer’s desire to push the envelope also highlights that fact that R-rated superhero films seem to be the next big thing. After the success of Deadpool, every studio is antsy to try their hands at a mature, adult comic book film. But it’s too soon to tell if this will really become a trend or not. Deadpool was definitely a hard R but that doesn’t guarantee the same treatment for Wolverine, Suicide Squad or other properties will pay off. Maybe fans only want an R-rated Deadpool, maybe they don’t desire that for every superhero. The real test will come when the second superhero comes out with an rated R film. If that’s a hit, you can bet many, many more will come. If it flounders at the box office, maybe Deadpool will be the only hero with a foul mouth.
That being said, if any comic book adaptation deserves an R rating, it’s Suicide Squad. It seems wrong to censor these bad guys.