Were you hoping that the R-rated Ultimate Edition of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice would be packed with bloody brawls bordering on torture porn? Well, if you were, you probably won’t like what Zack Snyder had to say to The Hollywood Reporter.
“[The DVD release] is a half-hour longer, and some of that additional material is some of the stuff we took out for the rating. I was like, “Cool, I can put it back in for the director’s cut.” There was nothing by design. This was the material I just put back in, and then when [the MPAA] looked at it again, they were like, ‘Oh, now the movie’s rated R.’ And, by the way, it’s not a hard R. There’s no nudity. There’s a little bit of violence. It just tips the scale.”
Since Deadpool blew up at the box office, proving that R-rated antics aren’t the kiss of death they once were, a new trend sprung up overnight. You know, the one where no comic book movie can be uttered in the same breath without mentioning a potential R-rated cut. Snyder’s producing partner Deb Snyder set the record straight on that matter, too, though:
“Online, everyone’s like, “Oh, they’re doing an R-rated in reaction to Deadpool,” and you’re like (laughing), “We didn’t just shoot it last week, and we also didn’t edit it last week.”
That makes sense, bearing in mind that word on Batman V Superman‘s R-rated version has always seemed to be more about length, as opposed to crazy intense sex scenes and super-gory fight sequences. As for what that extra half hour involves, we know that it will include a number of characters cut from the theatrical release. Most notable of all? Jena Malone’s mystery-not-even-remotely-a-mystery-anymore character.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25th, 2016.
