The tales of Jared Leto‘s commitment to playing the Joker in "Suicide Squad" have already made excellent anecdotes. He’s reportedly sent odd presents to members of the cast, and more or less did what he could to stay in character and keep himself away from the rest of the ensemble, which includes Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje when not shooting. However, his Daniel Day-Lewis-esque demands appear to have extended to the crew of the movie as well, as Atlas Entertainment and DC Comics brain trust member/producer Charles Roven revealed in a recent chat with Collider.
"…it was different, it was fun," Roven said of Leto’s on set behavior. "The group first wasn’t sure because the ADs had to call him ‘Mr. J’ to get him to come to the set [laughs]. And he did in many ways isolate himself from the rest of the group, but that’s really what his character was, the purpose of his character in many ways, other than when he was with Harley or trying to get Harley. It was very entertaining, it was fuel for a lot of good sport and a lot of laughs, and his isolation bonded the squad, and we wanted the squad bonded.”
As long as Leto’s method worked, that’s all that matters. And while what we’ve seen so far from "Suicide Squad" promises something gritty, dark, and maybe even R-rated, don’t count on the latter happening. Roven says that "Suicide Squad" is still part of the DC Cinematic Universe, and has to retain a tonal thread with the other pictures.
“The intention of the film is definitely to be PG-13," he said. "We really want to make these films tonally consistent, because this is a shared universe, at least our current thinking. Again, we’re not dealing in absolutes because while this is business, it’s also a creative endeavor, so you want to leave yourself open to changing your mind, doing something different, being inspired. That’s the whole process of filmmaking —you have to allow for inspiration as well as having a road map for what you’re gonna do. So our plan right now is to make all these films PG-13. In some cases, you know, right there on the edge of PG-13, but still PG-13.”
So, sorry folks, don’t count on an R-rated movie in the DC realm coming anytime soon.
"Suicide Squad" opens on August 5, 2016.