Credit: Deadpool
So, we’re officially getting a Deadpool 3; more significantly, Hugh Jackman will put on the sharp claws for the last time (or not) to play Wolverine in the third installment of the popular franchise. However, one question that’s consistently in fans’ minds is whether Deadpool 3 will be rated R. Disney has already addressed the topic by stating clearly that the upcoming solo film will have an R-rating stamp to it, though some fans remain skeptical. Disney has built their brand as a family-friendly product. When the company first released the adult Marvel shows they purchased from Netflix, some fans were unhappy that mature content was put onto the streaming service. That firestorm started again when Logan, Deadpool, and Deadpool 2 were put up a short time later.
Still, the most important thing is that Disney follows the money, and the Deadpool franchise has been very lucrative despite its mature rating, with both Deadpool films making over $1.5 billion worldwide. Disney experimented with Once Upon A Deadpool in December 2018 by cutting down on the gory parts to fit a PG-13 rating, but the re-release was ultimately a flop. One could argue that the re-release didn’t do so hot because it’s essentially the same version as the original Deadpool 2, but it just has Fred Savage in it. However, Once Upon A Deadpool helped showcase why Deadpool needs its R-rating. You can’t have a man known as the “merc with a mouth” and restrict him to a kiddie-friendly setting. Deadpool’s popularity is firmly due to the mature rating, as the franchise took a fresh approach to the tired superhero genre, and the R-rated twist is a crucial part of that reasoning.
Credit: Deadpool 2
Disney understands this, so the company is trying to ease fans’ minds that Deadpool will be R-rated. Shawn Levy – the Deadpool 3 director – spoke to Collider recently and has promised that the violence in the upcoming feature will be front and center:
“We are writing, rewriting, developing, and prepping Deadpool every day. It is such a blast to laugh every day,” Levy stated. “It is so delicious to hear and write and come up with these scenes where people are just talking foul. And the violence is in your face and hardcore, and it’s very much a Deadpool movie. And it has Logan in it. And it has Wolverine in it. It’s too fun. I’m having so much fun and haven’t even hit the shooting floor yet. But, I have to say, developing a Deadpool movie is one of the most fun, creative experiences of my life because it’s not just that it’s rated R. It’s that it’s so filled with self-awareness, and that makes in-writing very, very fun in a way that is unique to that franchise.”
Credit: Deadpool
Imagine the heat this studio will get if this turns out to be a PG-13 film. Disney and the company are going out of their way to ensure fans that it won’t be Disney-fied, so I doubt that the company would dare troll their fans like this by continuously promising an R-rated product. The R-rating is vital for the Deadpool series, but the story and characters are just as important. There’s no point in drenching the film will blood and violence if a compelling story isn’t front and center. Deadpool 3 is undoubtedly the most exciting release of Marvel’s Phase five and his future within the MCU. It’s highly doubtful that other Marvel films will go R just so Deadpool can fit into the world, so how will the ‘merc with the mouth’ be introduced into the connected Marvel universe? We’ll find out soon!
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