While, in theory, Fox giving Deadpool an R rating was a risky decision, considering how most R-rated comic book movies usually don’t do nearly as much business as their PG-13-rated competition (e.g. Watchmen, The Punisher), this past weekend Deadpool raked in a massive $132 million at the U.S. box office, proving that mainstream audiences don’t mind it, or perhaps prefer it, when their superheroes are dropping F-bombs and offing enemies in violent and gruesome ways.
Simon Kinberg, who has produced nearly every recent Fox superhero movie, including X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fantastic Four, Deadpool and more, recently hinted at possibly going for yet another R rating for an upcoming X-Men spinoff film. According to Collider, at an exclusive preview screening of Deadpool, Kinberg said, “I think there are some stories that could be R-rated. I don’t know what they are, I mean I think the mainline X-Men movies have their own tone, which is a more operatic tone. It’s more dramatic, it is more PG-13 in a way. X-Force I could see being R-rated, and who knows?”
Comic book creator Rob Liefeld pointed out that Kinberg’s statement doesn’t mean that the film will be R-rated, by any means, just that there’s a chance. The producer then clarified, “I’m saying I could imagine a universe in which [X-Force is R-rated].”
There’s a good chance that Fox is just as surprised by Deadpool‘s huge opening as everybody else, and now is very open to the idea of more R-rated superhero movies, instead of pushing the boundaries of PG-13. The X-Force is already a darker team of superheroes than the X-Men in the comics, so it would be hard to imagine the film staying within the confines of the PG-13 rating, especially if Deadpool were to make an appearance.
Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) was hired to pen the script for X-Force a few years back, and although the film was previously believed to be coming out in 2017, it probably won’t hit theaters until at least 2018.
Originally published February 15, 2016. Updated July 2, 2023.
