If it was a cinematic experiment then today we can call Deadpool a success. A comic book film does not necessarily need to obtain a PG-13 rating in order to be a box office smash anymore. While we wouldn’t have been surprised to see future comic book movies take note and follow suit, even we weren’t expecting to see it happen this fast. An eagle-eyed fan has posted an image that implies 20th Century Fox is already planning their next R-rated comic book feature with Wolverine 3.
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The image, brought to our attention by ComingSoon, is purportedly from 20th Century Fox’s presentation at the Hasbro Toy Fair. If accurate, then 20th Century Fox is actively planning an R-rated Wolverine 3 for Hugh Jackman’s final outing as the famous character. While the last standalone movie for the character, The Wolverine, did receive an unrated Blu-ray release, that’s as close as Fox came to an adult comic book movie before Deadpool premiered on Friday. The hype surrounding Deadpool was such that Fox may have been anticipating the success and been planning for a more adult Wolverine film for some time. Alternately, this could be a recent decision made only after the box office receipt came in.
Hugh Jackman has spoken at length about the process of putting together the script for Wolverine 3. It’s taken quite a long time because Jackman is trying to make the script perfect since it will be his final time playing the role. One now wonders if "perfect" entails an extra degree of violence the movies have not previously seen. The long development process may be because the decision to go for an R-rating was made, which could result in significant changes to the script. The only thing we know about the story at this point is that Patrick Stewart will be part of it.
If the movie does go for an R-rating it will be interesting to see how this is taken by the audience. It’s one thing for Deadpool, a new character and franchise, to open with an R-rated film, but it’s something else for Wolverine, a character whose every adventure has been rated PG-13 thus far, to change things up at the end. While anybody who was a kid when the first X-Men movie debuted in 2000 is now old enough to see an R-rated movie, those who are kids today will be shut out of the last chapter of the story. There will certainly be unhappy fans, and probably many more than those who couldn’t get into Deadpool.
What do you guys think of an R-rated Wolverine 3? Is it the finale the character needs, or would you rather see Hugh Jackman finish out playing the character the same way he began? Let us know what you think in the comments. Wolverine 3 is scheduled to bow on March 3, 2017.
