10 Films Intended To Be R-Rated That Got Neutered To PG-13

After Neil Gaiman's script spent over a decade floating around various studios in Hollywood, director Robert Zemeckis picked it up and found it to be a fascinating read. As a result, Zemeckis agreed to produce and direct the film for a 2007 release, in the trade-mark CGI animation of this era of his career.

The film was advertised and marketed as a dark take on the classical piece of folklore, with the film even getting several red-band trailers in the lead up to its release. And while Zemeckis is far more popular for his family-friendly fare such as Back to the Future or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he had certainly made his fair share of R-rated greats in the past, such as Used Cars or even Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight.

And following the success of Zack Snyder's very R-rated 300, it seemed as if Beowulf's rating was safe-and-sound. But then, when the film was released in theaters, it was unexpectedly tame and got a PG-13 rating. Paramount apparently got cold feet about the movie's chances of success, being an R-rated animated film that cost over $150 million and decided to go for the lower rating in hopes of recouping their losses.

The would-be-R-rated version was later released as Zemeckis' directors cut.