Why Disney Will Continue Making R-Rated Deadpool Films
Don't sweat it, Deadpool fans.
As soon as word first broke that Disney were poised to purchase the film/TV end of Fox, Marvel fans were simultaneously going crazy at the prospect of the X-Men and Fantastic Four joining the MCU, yet anxious that this might mean the end of the darker, R-rated turn the X-Movies have taken of late.
But fret not, as Disney CEO Bob Iger has insisted that the studio will not be intent on declawing the upcoming Deadpool 2 - and are even open to pursuing a new Marvel Studios offshoot specialising in R-rated comic book movies.
Quoted in The Hollywood Reporter, Iger declares, "It [Deadpool] clearly has been and will be Marvel branded. But we think there might be an opportunity for a Marvel-R brand for something like Deadpool. As long as we let the audiences know what's coming, we think we can manage that fine."
On the off chance you need reminding, Fox took a major risk with 2016's Deadpool, allowing the X-Men offshoot to be released with an R - and the gamble paid off big time. Critics and fans went gaga for Ryan Reynolds' potty-mouthed, bloodthirsty, fourth-walling breaking merc, and the film wound up the biggest box office hit of the entire X-Men series with a global haul of $783 million.
This, in turn, paved the way for this year's Logan to take a similarly adult (though considerably more sombre) approach, resulting in another critical and commercial smash, this time with a hint of awards season buzz about it.
However, given that both Marvel Studios and their parent company Disney (or, at least, their Walt Disney Studios and animation branches) are noted for their unwillingness to pitch their material any higher than PG-13, concerns have been raised - notably by Deadpool actor Reynolds himself, via some sardonic tweets - that this would mean no more R-rated mutant action.
Of course, fans may have been getting their knickers in a twist over nothing, as Disney has released plenty of R-rated movies over the years, via their ownership of Miramax and Buena Vista Pictures.
And as Iger mentions the possibility of Deadpool 2 leading to a 'Marvel R-brand,' what fresh and exciting possibilities could this open up for the future of the newly expanded MCU...?