Chris Pratt on What Went Wrong With 'Suicide Squad': 'Too Many Characters'

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Yes, “Suicide Squad” was panned by fans and critics, and Chris Pratt has a theory as to what went wrong with the DC film.

“I really like all the Warner Bros. movies,” Pratt told io9 at last week’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” junket. “I think they’re really cool and I’m not a real tough critic on those movies. But one of the flaws might have been they were introducing too many characters in ‘Suicide Squad.’ They spent 10 minutes telling us why should we care about these characters, rather than creating trilogies for each character and convincing us to care about the characters.”

Marvel, which produced “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its upcoming sequel in which Pratt stars, takes its time developing storylines of individual characters, argued Pratt.

See Video: Was Cara Delevingne Slimmed Down With VFX for 'Suicide Squad'?

“It’s like hardwood,” he said. “They grew it really slowly so it’s strong. They didn’t create ‘The Avengers’ first. They did ‘Iron Man.’ And they tested it to make sure it worked. Then they did [‘Iron Man II’] and [‘Iron Man III’], then they did ‘Cap,’ and then they did ‘Thor.’ And they created a thirst for these characters, and that’s when they put them in ‘The Avengers.'”

Warner Bros. is kind of doing what Pratt is suggesting. Gal Gadot will have her standalone “Wonder Woman” movie before November’s upcoming “Justice League,” and David Ayer plans to take Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, first introduced in “Suicide Squad,” into the spinoff, “Gotham City Sirens.”

Also Read: 'Suicide Squad': Here's What David Ayer Would Have Done Differently

Creating a franchise is “really f—– hard to do,” Pratt added.

“And it’s kind of a miracle that anyone’s got it right. You know?” he concluded. “So. I think it comes down to Kevin [Feige], his filmmakers, and ultimately, me, playing Star-Lord.”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” will hit theaters on May 5.

11 DC Comics Superheroes and Villains Who Deserve R-Rated Movies (Photos)

With R-rated films like "Logan" brutalizing the box office, an insider tells TheWrap that DC Films would "100 percent" make R-rated superhero movies with the right characters. Here are a few suggestions for characters dark enough to demand an R rating.
1. Justice League Dark

Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment released a successful R-rated "Justice League Dark" animated movie, and there's no reason they can't do the same in live action.
DC Comics
2. Suicide Squad 2

The first "Suicide Squad" focused on hardened criminals, but they kept things PG-13. They could do a lot more damage with an R rating.
Warner Bros.
3. Deadshot

Warner Bros. is looking to spin off Will Smith's hardened "Suicide Squad" character. An R-rating would make a lot of sense, given that he's a professional assassin.
Warner Bros.
4. Gotham City Sirens

Warners is also looking to spin off Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn character from "Suicide Squad." We all know the streets of Gotham are deadly enough to deserve an R rating.
DC Comics
5. Lobo

A film about DC's badass alien bounty hunter Lobo is in development, with Jason Fuchs developing a screenplay. An alien can't be expected to abide by MPAA standards.
DC Comics
6. Black Adam

Dwayne Johnson is attached to star as outlaw "Black Adam" for New Line. In the comics, Black Adam rules his own nation — the fictional Middle Eastern country Kahndaq — as a beloved, if violent, dictator. R territory for sure.
DC Comics
7. Nightwing

Bruce Wayne's former ward Dick Grayson set off on his own in the comics, and is expected to get his own movie as well in "Nightwing." R is for Robin.
DC Comics
8. Red Hood

If DC Films is making a "Nightwing" movie, how about focusing on another Bat-underling? Ex-Robin Jason Todd came back from the dead to avenge his killing as Red Hood, and a PG-13 probably can't contain all his rage.
DC Comics
9. Arkham Asylum

The video game series featuring all of Gotham City's craziest villains could easily lend itself to a film in the vein of David Fincher's "Seven."
DC Comics
10. Deathstroke

DC Comics assassin Deathstroke is the villain in the upcoming "The Batman," and if he merits a spinoff, it would be hard to imagine it as anything but an R movie.
DC Comics
11. The Batman

Making "The Batman" R-rated would send a signal that DC Films isn't messing around. In the "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Ultimate Edition, Batman was at his most Frank Miller violent and brutal.
Warner Bros.
If you like this gallery, check out this list of the 14 Biggest Superhero Movies Opening in 2017, From ‘Power Rangers’ to ‘Wonder Woman’ (Photos)

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An insider tells TheWrap that DC Films would ‘100 percent’ make R-rated superhero movies with the right characters — here are few that would be perfect

With R-rated films like "Logan" brutalizing the box office, an insider tells TheWrap that DC Films would "100 percent" make R-rated superhero movies with the right characters. Here are a few suggestions for characters dark enough to demand an R rating.

View In Gallery

11 DC Comics Superheroes and Villains Who Deserve R-Rated Movies (Photos)

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