It seems that barely a day goes by without a story concerning the status of Deadpool 3, and that’s largely down to the huge number of variables that concern almost every aspect of the in-development project. Marvel Studios have never had a character like the Merc with a Mouth at their disposal before, and his previous status as the star of two of the three highest-grossing R-rated movies in history under the Fox banner only creates more uncertainty.
Having spent a decade trying to get Deadpool made in the first place, Ryan Reynolds has always played a massively hands-on role in the series as the leading man, producer, co-writer and all-round creative driving force. However, that’s a level of influence that nobody has ever received from Marvel before, with Kevin Feige the one and only person that calls the shots.
Outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger may have claimed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready to make the jump into R-rated territory, but there have also been conflicting reports that Feige was reluctant to deviate from the family-friendly formula that turned the shared universe into the most lucrative brand the business has ever seen.
Now, a new rumor claims that Feige is refusing to budge on his plans to make Deadpool 3 a PG-13 effort, with one insider going so far as to label the company’s CCO as a ‘control freak’ unwilling to budge from the tactics that have worked out well for him so far. Admittedly, the rumor comes from Reddit, so make of it what you will, but the source in question also proved to be correct in the past when they said Marvel Studios would be skipping Comic-Con at Home, but still holding a panel for New Mutants.
If this turns out to be true, then you can understand both sides of the argument. The MCU has raked in well over $20 billion at the box office and probably more in merchandise, and Feige’s reluctance to go R-rated is presumably driven by the bottom line. However, Deadpool 3 is one of the most highly-anticipated comic book movies on the horizon, and fans would likely reject a sanitized and watered-down version that was awkwardly stuffed into the MCU’s established template just to draw in a wider audience.
