Suicide Squad: 12 Ways The Marketing Has Been Genius
2. The Handling Of The R-Rating Issue Was Deft
One of the biggest pieces of unfounded speculation about Suicide Squad didn't involve the movie's content directly, but how it would be released; because Jared Leto's Joker is clearly just so unhinged and the movie comes from David Ayer, it must have an R-rating, right?
There's little proof this was ever the case, and the idea of a summer tent-pole in a PG-13 series ever cutting out the child demographic seems a bit extreme, but what it allowed was for the head honchos at DC to delve deeper into the kid-friendly, yet still sadistic, tone; Charles Roven, the film's producer, repeatedly discussed the edge that could be achieved with a PG-13, making the rating seem totally palatable. Helpfully, the whole thing turned back up again when Deadpool became a smash-hit, giving DC another opportunity to toe the PR line.
The funny thing is, an "R-rating" is often more arbitrary that many make it out to be. Yes, you do get films that are so explicit they're firmly in the adult camp, but many major releases have only a few things pushing it over; the Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition is a 12 in the UK, but an R in the US.
On that note, Suicide Squad has actually got a 15 rating in the UK, which puts it on a par with an R (although as the BBFC have certain specific rules, it could be only a couple of moments that tip it over), so it seems like it's very much pushing the limits of the PG-13.