An imgur user has posted an image of a pamphlet supposedly handed out by Fox at the NY Toy Fair which shows that they anticipate an R-Rating for Wolverine 3.
Credit: http://imgur.com/gallery/zfZZ0us
The image shows intended theatrical and DVD/blu-ray release dates, as well as the anticipated R-Rating. This has led a lot of fans out there to speculate. Was this always the intention, for Wolverine 3 to aim for that hard R? Or has this been a quick decision on the studios part after the astonishing (to some, anyway) success of Deadpool in its opening weekend.
Now while it’s the first to meet with such rousing critical and box office success, Deadpool is not the first time a Marvel character has had the R-Rated treatment. In 2004, Thomas Jane starred as Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher (soon to be seen in Marvel Studios/Netflix second season of Daredevil, played by John Bernthal) in an R-Rated vengeance-fuelled rampage through New York. 4 years later, Ray Stephenson (Divergent series) took up the mantle of The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone and cut a bloody swathe through the city once again.
Add to this the Marvel/Netflix collaborations we are seeing, which have so far taken the likes of Daredevil and Jessica Jones to some pretty dark areas, and it’s clear that there’s a taste and an audience for the more adult end of the spectrum. Are the studios waking up to those fans who aren’t satisfied with the more family-friendly characters seen in the Avengers, X-Men or Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
What do you guys think? Has the studio given it some thought and realised that the kids who were there for the X Men trilogy are all grown up now and ready for something grittier? Does this mean maybe we’ll get to see Wolvie in full on berserker rage, slicing through bad guys like multiple knives through butter at last?
