AfterDeadpoolbroke R-rated box office records last year for 20th Century Fox, fans started wondering if Marvel and Disney would explore these types of stories, since all of the MCU movies, from 2008’sIron Manto next month’sSpider-Man: Homecomingand beyond, have been PG-13. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated in April that the biggest takeaway from the success ofR-rated superhero movieslikeDeadpooland this year’sLoganis that they took risks with the material, not just that it was R-rated. At the time, the studio president said that there were no plans for a Marvel R-rated ,but it seems his stance may have softened a bit. Here’s what Kevin Feige had to say during a Facebook Live interview earlier today.
“Not currently planning (R-rated movies), no, but it’s not out of the question. When I started at Marvel 17 years ago, theBlade franchisewas doing very well. A lot of people didn’t even know it was based on a Marvel character, because at the time, they sort of hid the fact that it was a Marvel character. So, not out of the question, but not something we’re working on right now.”
The producer and studio head’s statement toAllocineis by no means a definitive one, but at least now there may be some consideration towards anR-rated Marvel movie. Back in March 2016, while 20th Century Fox’sDeadpool($363 million domestic, $783.1 million worldwide, $58 million budget) was still raking in the big bucks in theaters, Bob Iger, CEO of Marvel’s parent company Disney, said that the studio has “no plans” to make R-rated Marvel movies. It’s possible that the success ofDeadpoolmay have been considered to be a fluke, but after the success ofLogan($226.2 million domestic, $615.5 million worldwide, $97 million budget), Marvel may have re-considered their stance on the subject.
It’s interesting thatKevin Feigebrings upBlade, since that is one of the few properties Marvel hasn’t done anything with, since the studio re-acquired the rights four years ago. Over the span of a few weeks in the spring of 2013, Marvel re-acquired the rights toBlade,Ghost Rider,DaredevilandThe Punisher. Since then, the studio has launched aDaredevilTV series on Netflix, withThe Punisherspin-off also coming soon. Last fall, the studio brought overGhost Riderto the ABC TV seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and, as of now,Bladeis the only property that hasn’t been resurrected since Marvel got the rights back.
With Marvel’s Phase 3 slate already planned out, coming to a close withAvengers 4in May 2019, it’s possible thatMarvel Phase 4could bring the first R-rated MCU movie. The studio is already planning out their slate, with Kevin Feige previously confirming that the titles alone for the MCU Phase 4 movies would be huge spoilers forAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers 4. Still, it’s possible that Marvel may find a way to bring an R-rated hero likeBladeor any other unconventional hero into the MCU when Phase 4 kicks off in 2020.
