Marvel Films Vows no R Ratings
For the most part, the most harsh rating a Superhero film would get is a PG-13. Now there have been exceptions to this rule, but this is where most of them fall. So with that in mind, today an announcement came out of Marvel Studios that they will not be doing ANY R rated films.
IESB.net says:
Marvel executive Peter Cuneo spoke at length today regarding Marvel Studio and their future and stated their decision not to make any R-rated films.
I can see how this makes financial sense. Their target audience is far wider with such a generous rating, but still warns of the obvious violence you might see in a Superhero movie.
Plus, it is a little hypocritical to make toys for preschoolers based on the franchise of characters you restrict only adults from seeing, so it cuts out a channel of revenue for them to harden a film.
My only concern is when you have characters in scenarios that make up the essence of the character. For example, both Blade and the Punisher were Rated R films - with good reason. If they watered these movies down to be acceptable PG13 movies, the very essence of the character would be lost. Implied violence just doesn’t allow for the Punisher to look as cold and brutally intimidating as he is.
Marvel once had these darker more adult stories were pushed off into Marvel’s subimprint called Marvel Knights, but then later moved back into the standard Marvel Imprint. Perhaps Marvel films will have a sub studio putting out more adult stories?
So considering all the most successful of Marvel films have all been PG-13 its not a stretch to see why they would not be bothered by this.
But are there any stories you would have hoped to see come to film that might have deserved an R Rating?
21 Comments, Comment or Ping
Michael C (Mastermind)
I wish Marvel would make some of their movies rated R. Didn’t DC’s line of comics “Vertigo” make rated R films and they weren’t that bad such as Constatine and V for Vendeta. Well, hope you will discuss this on the Un-CUT round table JOHN!
May 22nd, 2008
Geno
Well I know that Marvel did have an Adult Imprint Line Called Marvel MAX and was very much in the same aspect of that of DC Comics Vertigo Imprint. They even pushed some of thier Marvel Knights prints into that line such as Punisher and Blade. If there is some Comic Movies that I think should be rated R (if they ever decide to make it) would be Moon Knight or DeadPool. I also think if they pushed the edge they could have made Ghost Rider rated R. I don’t think it would have made it better but it could have added a much more darker feel that it should have deserved.
May 22nd, 2008
chris (the real one)
yea Geno the MAX series had some of the best stories in the marvel universe imo….i think any of the punisher MAX stories will make great movies…its dumb because marvel already has 3 R-RATED blade movies…so wtf
May 22nd, 2008
DON
I told you Doug there will be no R rated Thor movie. PERIOD
May 22nd, 2008
Sound Designer Dan
They’re just talking about SUPERHERO movies right?
May 22nd, 2008
Jason Stanley
I’m not so sure its a good idea to ‘pre-label’ all your films before they come out. I know Marvel didn’t make the Blade films but he’s a Marvel based character and those films would not have worked if they were PG-13. Unless they think they have no more ‘R’ rated characters left in the Marvel ‘Vault’.
Hell I’d pay to see an R rated Spidey flick over a PG one.
May 23rd, 2008
Kristina
Well, duh. This makes absolutely perfect business sense. You make a movie R, you cut off a significant portion of the moviegoing public. Of course, we’ve had R-rated bonanzas like 300, but they are the exception, not the rule.
May 23rd, 2008
Manila Marco
I think they just mean that it won’t be coming out under the Marvel Films moniker. They’ll probably start another company for it.
On another note, does anyone have any news on a Constantine sequel? I LOVED that movie and certainly feel it deserves a follow up. Or two.
May 23rd, 2008
Rodney
@Chris - Marvel Films has no Rated R films.
There are rated R films using Marvel properties, but they were not made by Marvel’s own studio.
May 23rd, 2008
HAZMAT
no. no. NO
if they come out with a moonknight film i want his crazyness in it. if they ever make a pg 13 unisher film it wont be frank castle. i wont get into blade. luke cage is a rated R movie guy. no. daredevil should have been rated R but they managed to make it pg 13 and i really didnt mind.
the punisher makes you swallow time bombs. moonknight slices heads with his blades (not exagerating) blade..well..you know..and daredevil kills people all the time. im sure there are more heros that are like this but i dont remembeer right now.
May 23rd, 2008
Darren J Seeley
I fail to see the problem with this, int’l friends.
Let me address some things here…
Morbius is the only character I could think of at this time that could be good enough for a theatrical film. I think if it comes around, an “aim” for a PG-13 (like Ghost Rider) might be the best approach. Again, it would not always depend on the rating, but the quality of the film itself.
Looking at Marvel’s current plans…
Would Cap America be an R? Nope. No Saving Private Ryan like opening here.
Would Ant-Man be an R? Nope. Even if villain Whizzler nearly bed-rapes Wasp in the hospice.
Would Thor be an R? Not with Loki’s green and gold duds anyway. And the Thunder God reading Shakespeare like phrases. Besides, if one would to set 1/3 in Asgard and the rest on modern day Earth… so much for a glorious viking battle that would prepare one for Vahalla.
The Avengers then would not be an R.
They pretty much have used up the R rated characters.
Except for one.
A “fowl” mouthed remake of Howard The Duck.
@Hazmat:
“if they ever make a PG-13 Punisher film then it won’t be the Punisher”
I strongly disagree. It isn’t whether or not a film is rated R, PG-13 or whatever. Quality is the main concern. While the 1989 Punisher had a plot and some B film action, a friction between the producer and the screenwriter caused Skull icon removal. A nice little action film…but not “The Punisher”. The 2003 version had the skull, some nice stunts and Tom Jane, but the “fans” cried, “Oh it sucked, it wasn’t The Punisher”.
Guess what is being said about the upcoming film? It’s an R rated film with ‘low expectations’ from the “fans”. If the latest isn’t even a modest success, I suspect either Punisher is *done* or future installments will go DTV.
But let’s say Marvel buys back Punisher rights from Lionsgate - and another film is made. Could it be a PG-13? I say, yes. My logic is that last year’s Die Hard 4 was just as good with a PG-13…and most of what they did is supress F bombs. Yet, John McClaine was “still” John McClaine.
‘Blade’ has pretty much run the course. If Marvel got the film rights back (a matter of time) I don’t see a film happening soon. If it happens, again, quality has to be looked at. Blade: Trinity was the most R of the trilogy and - I may get some heat for this- if the profanity was taken out (especially when it becomes bad dialog) they could have gotten a PG-13.
In fact, I’ll through this gauntlet down- if they cast someone other than Sticky Fingaz in the TV show, the show may have gotten to a third season by now.
Let’s not forget- “Blade” was a PG-13 character in the TOD comics. I know I’ll take heat for that. Don’t shoot the messenger.
Ratings have zero to do with it. It is the quality of the films, combined with the essence of the characters.
Yes, Moon Knight/Marc Spectre can get violent. Daredevil has gotten rough at times (I don’t recall him intentionally killing anyone in the comics, though)- many “heroes” have gone after villains for payback at one time or another. That does not mean that character “should” do it on a big screen. In the comics, Spider-Man goes after the Green Goblin for murdering Gwen Stacey (although there is a small debate whether Spidey accidentally killed her) In the films, Mary Jane took the place of Gwen in the first film. Should she have died?
(um, sorry, don’t answer that, lol)
May 23rd, 2008
Jon H
I don’t see the problem here. They already made Blade & Punisher stuff. And they sucked. Why would you want more?
Your point about Daredevil…isn’t much of a point. Just because he kills doesn’t make it R. Same with Moon Knight. Haven’t you seen LotR? That was PG-13 and it had appropriate levels of violence for both DD and MK.
May 23rd, 2008
Jay
The rating really doesn’t matter as long as the movie is executed with great style, has memorable characters, good pacing, well coreographed action scenes, and above all a damn good script.
May 23rd, 2008
Troy
CONAN HAD BETTER BE RATED R!!!!!
May 23rd, 2008
Rodney
Conan is not a Marvel property.
May 23rd, 2008
Dragonslayer
Well, there goes Punisher: War Zone
May 23rd, 2008
HAZMAT
Darren J Seeley
im sorry- i read very little daredevil comix and i presumed he killed people. daredevil WANTED to kill the kingpin. im sorry, i MIGHT have been wrong about that. and moonknight is a satist (well..he is crazy).
and hey thats cool that you disagree i just think that the comix for the heros thta i mentioned were so gore and- the punisher comix had the “N” word and the F word all over it. there were parts were you saw organs and blood were there were shootings. it was BRUTAL man, and moonknight i remember did carve a disk in this dudes head.
so- thats what makes all superheros different, thats why there was a civil war- because they knew some hero was going to get reckless and do something retarded. each of them stand for something. spiderman stands for being nice and turning bad guys in- moonknight likes killing them because he thinks jail isnt punishment enough, the punisher thinks that he IS the law. so taking all that gore really takes something away from the hero.
and changing them so that they can get more money/viewers is kinda wrong to me but a VERY VERY logical move because- well its a business. their job is to make money. its sad to me though.
JAY
that is true- a movie can be great without gore. but superhero movies cant be made up like some other movie- they are already in the comix and if the comic book was violent and so is the hero, then they should make the movie the same way. some adjustments must be made but not to his behavior.
if the characters behavior needs be changed then its not a movie about him and what they should just make a movie about someone else they made up and not use that original character.
May 23rd, 2008
HAZMAT
im sorry but if they want to make a punisher movie (for example) and they want no killing in it. just make a movie that has nothing to do with marvel or the punisher and name it “insert tittle here” and make it however you want it to be. make your movie however you wnat to make it. but dont use a character that already has his story written down and completely change it.
May 23rd, 2008
Rodney
Punisher War Zone is not being produced by Marvel Films.
If you read the article you would see that this Non-R policy pertains ONLY to Marvel Films own projects. There are still a few licenses out there that other studios have the rights to.
Relax.
May 23rd, 2008
HAZMAT
i did read it. i did not know however that the punisher wasnt a marvel film. but silly me for thinking that way…
i guess all the realistic heros like the punisher are just going to have nothing to do with marvel when their movies come out then.
thats just giving in to the little kids. just like they did on speedracer- they made it for little gits to get more viewers (i guess) and look what happened (dont tell me speedracer wasnt made for kids)
and i was using the punisher as an example. daredevil is a rated r hero. he wanted to throw a babie out of a bilding once because he thought he was an anti christ. he also thinks hes above the law. there are like 34 other heros like this but unfortunately, theyre not famous enough to get their own movies.
May 23rd, 2008
Pyrratus
I was hoping for a movie of the first Marvel Knights’ Spiderman book but I guess that might not happen.
May 23rd, 2008
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