Zack Snyder's Justice League has been rated R, according to Film Ratings. The film earned its rating due to "violence and some language." (H/T Fandom)
The long-awaited Snyder Cut will be making its HBO Max debut this March as one super-long film. Additional photography brought back Jared Leto's Joker – whose new look has been teased in an image by Snyder – and Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke, and the director has said about 150 minutes of the film have never been seen before. He's also already speculated that the film would score an R rating: "The movie is insane and so epic and is probably rated R – that's one thing I think will happen, that it will be an R-rated version, for sure."
Considering Steppenwolf's original, spiky design has been restored – a scarier style than the theatrical version – it’s probably fair to assume some of the R-rated violence will be coming from him. Can we expect a more violent Amazons vs Steppenwolf battle, maybe? It also seems a safe bet that we'll be seeing more from the Knightmare timeline, first glimpsed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This is a likely candidate for action worthy of an R rating, especially as this is probably how Joker and Deathstroke are involved in the film.
The rating is a pretty strong sign that the new film is embracing the differences that mark it out from the theatrical version. Back in 2017, an R rating for Justice League was unthinkable.
Of course, this isn't the first DC film to earn an R rating – Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey was rated R, and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, due for release this August 6, 2021, will also have the rating, per the director himself. Joker was also R rated, and went on to scoop a Best Picture nomination.
DC are clearly unafraid to go a bit darker with their movies, which could end up being a breath of fresh air as this year is so loaded with superhero films and TV shows.
Zack Snyder's Justice League arrives March 18, 2021. Until then, check out how to watch DC movies in order for the ultimate movie marathon.
