The movie continued to make news Wednesday when ScreenCrush reported that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has officially branded Suicide Squad with a PG-13 rating, citing “sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language.” In a vacuum, this wouldn’t necessarily be noteworthy, but with everyone trying to get a handle on what the heck this movie will look like when it actually hits theaters, the rating looms larger than usual.
Remember, this was a film that was supposedly dark enough to necessitate an on-set therapist. Then, it was a film that needed re-shoots because it wasn’t “fun” enough. And now, well, who knows?
There had been some talk early on that Suicide Squad was headed for an R rating, and the PG-13 label seems to suggest that some of its grislier moments may have been either cut or toned down. Of course, there’s also the possibility that it was never really all that dark to begin with.
Usually, we have a pretty good handle on a film once it gets this close to its release, but this one has thrown us for a loop to the point that the final product can’t possibly surprise us one way or the other.
Suicide Squad hits theaters August 5, and stars Will Smith (Deadshot), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), and Leto (The Joker).
