Is The Next Suicide Squad Trailer Going To Be Rated R?

The BBFC have just released their rating for the impending Suicide Squad trailer, and it's a goshdarned 15. Firstly that means that this new trailer is right around the corner, but secondly - and most importantly - we have an inkling of what to expect the final film to be rated (on the redcoat side of the pond, at least). The certificate for Suicide Squad has been the subject of much debate amongst fans, and the fact that the BBFC have just rated the trailer a 15 raises a whole new bunch of questions. There's clearly something in that three minutes (!) of footage that has caused the notoriously-squeamish BBFC to stop and think about all this; it could be a minor amount of blood, or some truly heinous act committed by Leto's Joker... it's anyone's guess. Historically, trailer ratings are either the same as or below the final certificate of the finished film. In this instance, where the UK cert is a 15, that translates to an R-rating in the States. If whatever is giving pause to the uptight suits at the BBFC stays in the final film, then the whole thing should or could be a 15, by anyone's logic. That's not to say that there can't be final trims made to the film before its release next year; a similar example is The Hunger Games, which was an easy PG-13 in the US, but struggled to be classified a 12A in Britain. Cuts were made to the UK print of the film (CGI blood was removed, and the image in the opening fight at the Cornucopia was darkened) and therefore the studio achieved their desired, family friendly classification. A similar thing could ultimately happen with Suicide Squad, with an uncut version arriving on home video. As a sidenote, three minutes is a heck of a runtime for a trailer - expect to see one long scene (a scene setting up The Joker and Harley Quinn, perhaps?) and then a quick rat-a-tat of action sequences. Hopefully, Warner Bros. will locate their gonads and pursue a 15 or R-rating with conviction; Suicide Squad is, after all, a film about bad guys. The worst of the worst. Suicide Squad is released on 5 thAugust 2016.