The Wolf Of Wall Street Was Nearly Rated NC-17 For Nudity And Sex

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby might only be the second-most wild, decadent party of 2013, if recent news about Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street is to be believed. The film, which will arrive this Christmas, was recently forced to make some cuts to avoid being slapped with an NC-17 rating for excessive sex and nudity, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

If Scorsese is pushing the envelope with his highly-anticipated financial drama, it wouldn’t be a first for the director. Taxi Driver and The Last Temptation of Christ both courted considerable controversy at the times of their release with brutal violence and sexuality. The Wolf of Wall Street‘s protagonist, stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), lived a thoroughly hedonistic life throughout the ’80s and ’90s, consistently indulging in women, drugs and alcohol, so Scorsese will likely focus heavily on the character’s promiscuity in the film.

With a confirmed 179-minute runtime, Scorsese will certainly have plenty of time to explore Belfort’s crazy, epicurean lifestyle. The Wolf of Wall Street is the director’s longest effort yet, beating out Casino by one minute. Critics will have a chance to see the film this weekend at a screening for guild members, though the rest of us will have to wait almost a month to see how The Wolf of Wall Street ended up after the cuts.

However, there’s nothing to stop you from checking out a new TV spot for the film, which was released today and focuses on the opulent social circle that DiCaprio and co-star Jonah Hill are a part of. Titled “Big Dreams,” the spot focuses on the rags-to-riches aspect of Hill’s fast-talking Donnie Azoff, while the rhythms of Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead” blast in the backdrop.

Co-stars Jean Dujardin and, to a lesser degree, Matthew McConaughey have been conspicuously absent from recent promotional material, but both actors are still considered contenders for Best Supporting Actor this year based on early buzz for their performances. Based on that clip, however, Hill looks like an early front-runner for that category.

Personally, I could not be more excited for The Wolf of the Wall Street. Scorsese never disappoints, and with the film’s incredible cast, I feel confident in calling this wild, hedonistic epic the event of the holiday season.

Will you be checking out The Wolf of Wall Street? And out of Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and Jean Dujardin, who do you think is most likely to score a Best Supporting Actor nom this year? Sound off in the comments section!

The Wolf of Wall Street prowls into theaters on December 25th.