The next Deadpool movie–assuming there is one because no announcements have been made yet–will be the first released under Disney following the company’s purchase of Deadpool’s former rights-owner Fox. Deadpool 1 and 2 were rated R, and many have wondered if the family friendly Disney might be wary of making R-rated superhero movies in the future.
Deadpool 2 director David Leitch said in a new interview that nothing is decided at this stage regarding Deadpool’s future as it relates to age ratings.
“It’s rated R so that’s not necessarily the [MCU] brand but [Deadpool] doesn’t necessarily need to be R and [Disney] don’t necessarily need to only make PG-13 movies,” he told Yahoo Movies UK. “I think we’ll find a happy ground.”
Also in the interview, Leitch said that at least the conversations he’s heard about Deadpool’s future at Disney have been positive.
“There’s a lot of mystery still surrounding what they want to do with Deadpool in [Disney’s] Marvel world but I think, from discussions that I’ve heard, it’s all positive,” he said. “I think that they’re just trying to figure a way in as Deadpool’s hard.”
Last week, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds teased that Deadpool the character might join the MCU, though nothing is announced. When Disney bought the majority of Fox’s entertainment assets, it picked up all the X-Men characters.
As for Disney releasing an R-rated Deadpool movie, Disney boss Bob Iger confirmed that the studio will “continue in that business,” following Disney’s acquisition of Fox.
“We do believe there is room for the Fox properties to exist without significant Disney influence over the nature of the content, meaning that we see that there is certainly popularity amongst Marvel fans for the R-rated Deadpool films, as a for instance,” he said. “We’re going to continue in that business, and there might be room for more of that.”
The Deadpool series has experimented with a lower age-rating. In December 2018, Deadpool 2 was re-released in theatres with a PG-13 rating with Once Upon a Deadpool. The cut tones down or totally removes a number of violent and adult-themed scenes.
Leitch isn’t confirmed to return to direct a third Deadpool movie, but he said in the Yahoo Movies UK interview that he hopes to come back. His latest movie is the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, which is doing big business at the box office currently.
Leitch is also attached to direct the Netflix movie based on Ubisoft’s The Division. The movie is still in the works, but it’s still in the early phases of production.
