The Suicide Squad: Joel Kinnaman Says James Gunn's DC Movie Is 'Heavily' R-Rated

By Pierre Chanliau Updated:
Joel Kinnaman and BTS of The Suicide Squad

Last month audiences saw a first true glimpse of The Suicide Squad at DC FanDome , showcasing the sheer scale of the movie and even hinting at deeper secrets yet to be revealed. While there was plenty of behind-the-scene footage and snippets of interviews from the producers, director, and cast that could point to it being R-Rated, it wasn't outright confirmed.

James Gunn is most known for his work on the PG-13 rated Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and he is also known for his twisted and ultraviolent roots dating all the way back to the infamous Troma Entertainment. His most famous movies, outside the ones starring a talking raccoon, are Super and Slither , two bloody and violent movies that push their R-Rating both in subject matter and gory content.

Since Ayer's Suicide Squad was PG-13, many fans expected Warner Bros. to keep it that way to maintain a larger audience. Some fans still have doubts that James Gunn's The Suicide Squad will get an R-Rating, however, Kinnaman may have finally given the first hard confirmation for the movie's rating.

NEWS

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Joel Kinnaman spoke about the script for The Suicide Squad , describing it as "so funny" and that the movie itself is insane:

“James just has this command of that genre, but also over every aspect of comedy and even the marketing. He just understands the world so well, and since he wrote it, he really reinvents not just the concepts, but also the characters."

What stuck out most in this interview and Kinnaman's praise of the movie was that he felt that "...it was like I did my first comedy, but it’s like heavily R-rated."

He continued to describe the odd experience, saying that he had "never done a comedy in that way before."

"So I asked James to work with me and teach me this shit. And yeah, we had so much fun doing it. That movie is going to be a fucking monster. Honestly, even though I’m in it, I can’t wait to see it as a fan.”

WHAT THIS MEANS

Kinnaman not only said that The Suicide Squad is an R-Rated comedy, but a "heavily" R-Rated comedy. Considering many of the casts' comments from DC FanDome, describing things like "Everyone's exploding. Genitals, heads, arms, legs," it seems like none of this will be obscured or hidden like Ayer's shot at the franchise.

This also means that Warner Bros. could be more inclined to produce R-Rated movies based on their DC properties that aren't just Elseworld movies like Joker , even after the disappointing box office of Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey . Kinnaman's comments also mean that other upcoming movies from DC Films could be rated R, like The Batman , or even more likely, Bad Robot's Justice League: Dark .

- About The Author: Pierre Chanliau
Pierre Chanliau began as a news & feature writer for The Direct at the site's launch in 2020. As a longtime reader of superhero comic books, Pierre's knowledge of Marvel and DC is extensive, informing his reporting and editorial pieces regarding the MCU and DCU.