All aboard the R-rated superhero movie bandwagon!
That seems to be the call that’s going out in Hollywood right now, as studios scramble to find more mature comic book properties to bring to the big screen after the tremendous success of both Deadpool and Logan. We already know that 20th Century Fox intends on heading down a similar path with X-Force and perhaps even New Mutants, but no one else has come forward just yet with an R-rated property.
Of course, it’s highly unlikely that Marvel will ever go restricted, but what about DC? It’s certainly possible, given that they do have a number of darker characters, and according to The Wrap, it’s an avenue that they’re definitely open to exploring. The outlet’s sources report that DC Films is 100% interested, as long as it’s with the right characters. And as we just said, there are certainly no shortage of heroes and villains from the source material who could go restricted with ease (Lobo comes to mind, immediately).
In fact, Warner Bros. has technically already put out an R-rated comic book movie in the form of the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Cut – which was better received than the theatrical version. While it’s not likely that the studio will head in this direction in the near future with properties like Justice League, Aquaman or The Flash, it’s not too crazy to think that further down the line, we may see some more mature efforts from them. An R-rated Suicide Squad 2 or Black Adam would be particularly exciting. And even a restricted take on the Caped Crusader hitting theaters could be interesting (though that’s not likely to happen).
Regardless of what the studio decides to do, it’s pretty clear that R-rated superhero movies are about to become more and more common, and given how wonderful and refreshing both Logan and Deadpool were, that’s absolutely alright with us.
What do you think, though? Should DC go down a darker road with some of their upcoming projects? If so, which heroes should get the R-rated treatment? Let us know in the usual place!
