After the Disney/Fox merger that brought several Marvel characters back to their rightful home, many fans started to worry that the company would abandon the R-rated themes of franchises such as Deadpool in order to force-fit them into a family-friendly mold. Considering that the success of the Deadpool films relies heavily on offensive jokes and excessive gore, such concerns were surely valid.
Thankfully, it looks like Disney has no intention of doing that. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, confirmed at a TCA press tour that the upcoming Deadpool 3 film will definitely be R-rated. He says it will be the studio's only R-rated project, as Marvel does not have any plans to pursue other mature enterprises; at least, at the moment.
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Last year, it was announced that Bob's Burgers writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin will pen the script for Deadpool's MCU debut. Their experience in rule-bending comedy makes them a fitting choice for the job. Ryan Reynolds is also set to reprise his role as the Merc with a Mouth, bringing the project full circle.
While the news was a victory for Deadpool fans, it also sparked concerns for other Marvel titles in the pipeline, such as the recently announced Blade project. Like Deadpool, the Blade films featuring Wesley Snipes all had R-ratings, which made sense considering a lot of the story involves hash-and-slash violence and lots of blood. Despite confirmations of the reboot, which will star Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker, Feige went on to say that the studio has not yet encountered a storyline or character's journey that requires a rating beyond PG-13.
This likely means that there also won't be another Logan-type film in the near future, should the X-Men finally make their MCU debut, nor will there be any mature retellings of stories for darker characters such as Ghost Rider or the freshly re-acquired Defenders. It's unclear if this move will benefit or hurt the company in the long run, especially since DC Films has taken the full plunge into the dark side with upcoming films like Robert Pattinson's The Batman and Jared Leto's Morbius, which are rumored to possibly get an R rating.
Fans will just have to wait and see whether Marvel Studios decides to change its mind and make exceptions for future titles. For now, they can get excited over the next releases in the studio's 2021 schedule, which includes Black Widow (May 7), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (July 9), Eternals (November 5), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17).
Deadpool 3 is currently in development at Marvel Studios.
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Source: Digital Spy