Deadpool is undeniably a monster hit—a phenomenon almost. As of yesterday, its total box office haul is a staggering $172 million and the movie is showing no signs of slowing down. Audiences are in love. Critics are impressed. And its wild success is already giving it a stretched-out arm of influence.
Just a few days after Deadpool had its record-breaking, biggest R-rated opening of all time, 20th Century Fox appears to be going for an R rating for 2017’s Wolverine 3. An image (via Comicbook.com) of a pamphlet distributed at Toy Fair 2016 promoting the final Wolverine entry (at least starring Hugh Jackman) shows the movie’s logo, theatrical and home entertainment release date, and an anticipated MPAA rating of R.
If you think it’s painfully obvious that this was influenced by the success of R-rated Deadpool, you’re not the only one. While Fox may have been tossing around the idea of an R-rated Wolverine long before Deadpool’s release, it’s clear they weren’t going to be sold on that decision until seeing how Deadpool, more or less a bold experiment, turned out.
But is this decision the right decision? If it wasn’t influenced by Deadpool’s success, then why is the studio going for an R-rated Wolverine? Why now, why this entry? Wolverine has been represented within the confines of a PG-13 rating fairly well for the last 15 years in 7 different movies.
With the way Jackman portrays Wolverine, it can be surmised that he curses a lot and will exact brutal, bloody violence like it’s his day job if he has to. He’s an edgier, darker breed of badass superhero. For lack of a better term, he’s a rated-R type of guy. But we know that despite never having been shown explicitly in a rated-R movie. To suddenly see Jackman ripping out guts and cursing like a sailor, which may be true to who he is, could be jarring, interrupting the consistency and authenticity that has already been established.
Audiences have spoken in regards to Deadpool and the effects of its R rating. What many don’t want is for this to set a precedent where studios see the success of Deadpool and think “Oh, well if it worked for Deadpool it’ll work for this too”, slapping an R rating on whatever superhero movie they have lined up just for the sake of it being rated R. A superhero movie should be rated R if it serves a purpose to the story or is true to the character.
With that said, if the studio is going to go for an R rating for Wolverine 3, there’s not a more popular superhero out there who that rating would fit better. Seeing Logan/Wolverine drop F-bombs or dismember baddies with his claws isn’t too far-fetched since, as said earlier, he’s a darker, meaner breed of superhero. His superpower is, in essence, savage and brutal.
Me personally, I would love to see an R-rated Wolverine 3 simply because I’d like to see Logan/Wolverine in all his glory. No, not completely ass-naked (although Jackman is admittedly a great looking guy), but completely free to drop those “shits” and “fucks” and exact some bloody violence that I believe is true to his character. Let’s be honest, for 15 years Wolverine has been stabbing bad guys left and right in all sorts of places yet I’ve seen more blood spatter from my own paper cuts than the wounds he leaves his victims with.
Whether the majority of fans feels this way too is anyone’s guess. But what fans do want is for studios not to look at Deadpool’s R rating as the explanation for its success, therefore subsequently giving every superhero a foul-mouth and every fight scene blood and gore, just for the sake of it. Wolverine 3 may be understandable, and the studio may have been toying with the R rating idea before Deadpool proved it could work, but Fox (and other studios for that matter) should proceed with caution: an R-rating isn’t always the best ingredient to cook up a hit with.
A less controversial piece of news related to Deadpool’s influence is the existence of a petition on Change.org calling for Deadpool to host Saturday Night Live. The petition, created by Andrew Stege, specifically asks not for Ryan Reynolds the actor, but Ryan Reynolds in full character as Deadpool. Stege writes:
“How would this not be hilarious having Deadpool in sketches, breaking the 4th wall, and inserting some of his brand of humor (obviously toned down a bit for network television)!?!?! I have not watched a full episode of SNL in years because I just haven’t been able to stomach an entire episode, but having Deadpool host, star, and be all over the episode would get the DVR set so I can watch it again and again!!! Not to mention, depending on the musical guest, how awesome would it be to have some Deadpool interpretive dancing while the musical guest was playing? There’s unlimited possibilities!!!”
This guy is obviously more of a Deadpool fan than SNL which isn’t so crazy, but what is crazy (or maybe not at this point) is that Stege’s petition already has 53,000 signatures, nearly doubling it’s numbers in half a day. The goal right now stands at 75,000 but as the signatures keep coming in, that goal may be increased bit by bit.
Your move Lorne Michaels.
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