Just this morning, we were wonderinghow the various studios would react to the success ofDeadpooland whether we’d see an influx of R-rated superhero movies following the film’s massive box office success. It appears it didn’t take long for that to take hold, as now it looks like the next (and last)Wolverinemovie could land an R rating as well.
The news comes via the Toy Fair in New York City, where the following pamphlet was apparently handed out to guests at 20th Century Fox’s panel (viaComicbook.com).
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So as you’re able to see, the projected rating—according to this unconfirmed pamphlet—is R. Keep in mind we still haven’t heard any official word from Fox, as the source of this is merely the above photo, but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the studio to make an R-ratedWolverinemovie. When directorJames MangoldandHugh Jackmanwere makingThe Wolverine, an R-rating was on the table and they shot both an R and PG-13 version of the movie, releasing the former cut as the “Unleashed Extended Edition” on Blu-ray. It’s possible the studio will do the same thing with the nextWolverinefilm—shoot both versions—and then decide after the fact which rating best suits the movie.
Jackman has been working closely with Mangold to craft the nextWolverinemovie for the last year or so, wanting to ensure that the film—his last as the character—is the best version it can possibly be before cameras roll.Jackman told us last monththat they had finally completed a draft of the script, and the movie is reportedly being eyed for release in March of next year. Filming will undoubtedly begin within the next six months, so now the question becomes whether Fox is willing to go R with theX-Menfranchise’s most beloved character.
If this pamphlet is indeed accurate, it’s possible Fox has been planning an R-ratedWolverine 3for a while now, beforeDeadpoolwas a proven commodity. Regardless, there’s no denying the massive success ofRyan Reynolds’ R-rated superhero pic would give the studio much more confidence to go R withWolverine, especially since they’re one of the few major superhero studios in a position to release movies with this rating in the first place.
So willWolverine 3be Rated R? Right now, officially, we don’t know. My guess is Fox may be leaning that way, but will ensure Mangold and Jackman shoot both an R-rated and PG-13-rated version of the film so they have options once the movie’s in the can. UnlikeDeadpool, theWolverinemovies aren’t dripping with foul language or explicit sexual content, so it’d be pretty easy to craft a PG-13 cut during production by excising a few F-bombs here and there and simply cutting around the more graphic violence. The larger question is, do weneedan R-ratedWolverine? Having not read the script it’s impossible to say whether R is “right” for this particular film, but it’s certainly an intriguing possibility.
