The Suicide Squad rated R for violence, gore, language & graphic nudity

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

We've known that James Gunn's The Suicide Squad would be hitting theaters with an R-rating for quite some time, but now we have a much better idea of what that R-rating will bring, and it turns out that it's a little bit of everything. The MPAA has officially given The Suicide Squad an R-rating for "strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity."

That all sounds about right given everything we've already seen from the red-band trailers, but the brief graphic nudity did catch me by surprise. It remains to be seen which character(s) that particular notation is referring to, but the reaction on Twitter points to many fans hoping (perhaps that's the wrong word?) that King Shark is the one to go full-frontal. I need an adult!

The official synopsis for The Suicide Squad:

Welcome to hell — a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

The upcoming film will feature a mix of old and new cast-members including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Peter Capaldi, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, David Dastmalchian, Micheal Rooker, Daniela Melchior, and more. The Suicide Squad is slated to hit theaters and HBO Max on August 6, 2021. In addition to the film, there's also a spin-off TV series focusing on John Cena's Peacemaker character that will debut on HBO Max in January 2022.