‘Wolverine 3’ aiming for R-rating; ‘Deadpool’success could usher in new era of “adult” superhero films
By Staff Writer | Feb 17, 2016 09:25 AM EST
'Wolverine 3' is a planned action-adventure film featuring Hugh Jackman in his final appearance as the titular mutant. 20th Century Fox is aiming for an R-rating following the success of another R-rated X-Men film, 'Deadpool', at the box office.
According to Comicbook.com, 20th Century Fox is shooting for a possible R-rating for its upcoming standalone film featuring Hugh Jackman in his final appearance as the titular mutant. The news was announced through a pamphlet handed out during the recent New York Toy Fair presentation. The pamphlet bore the film's scheduled theatrical release for March 3, 2017 with an "anticipated" rating of 'R'.
The move comes after the surprising success of another X-Men film, 'Deadpool', starring Ryan Reynolds in the title role. According to Gamespot, Reynold's raunchy superhero flick is proclaimed the biggest R-rated opening weekend of all time in North America, earning more than $137 million and even gaining the praise of critics and audiences alike.
'Wolverine 3' may not be the only upcoming X-Men film aiming for a hard R-rating. Producer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg, who oversees the X-Men cinematic universe, hinted that X-Force could also go for an R-rating.
He said, "I think there are some stories that could be R-rated... I don't know what they are, I mean I think the mainline X-Men movies have their own tone, which is a more operatic tone. It's more dramatic, it is more PG-13 in a way. X-Force I could see being R-rated, and who knows?" X-Force was created by 'Deadpool' co-creator Rob Liefeld and includes Deadpool, Wolverine, Storm, Psylocke, Cyclops and Colossus.
The 42-year old worked on several X-Men films such as 'X-Men: The Last Stand', 'X-Men: First Class' and 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' and 'Deadpool'. He is set to write and produce the upcoming 'X-Men: Apocalypse' as well as 'Gambit' standalone film.
According to io9, the success of 'Deadpool' in the box office could pave the way for more "adult" superhero films in the future. It would be interesting to explore another side of the franchise that has been established as PG-13 for more than a decade.
'Wolverine 3' is a planned action-adventure film intended as Jackman's third standalone film and final outing as the titular mutant. It is directed by James Mangold and written for the big-screen by Michael Green. It is scheduled to be released on March 3, 2017.