Marvel's Phase 4 lineup is still largely a mystery, but new projects are slowly but surely filling in the gaps. One of them is the long-awaited Black Widow solo movie. Not too much is known about the film, but a new rumor claims it's possible an R-rating is on the table. However, it's not clear at this point if Marvel will go through with that or not.
Ever since the commercial and critical success of the R-rated Deadpool, the gates were opened for more R-rated superhero projects to hit the theaters. Fox found success with Logan and Deadpool, and we're about to get an R-rated Hellboy, but fans have wondered if Marvel was ever going to join the trend. The fact that the studio is owned by the family-friendly Disney pretty much ended that speculation before it could begin. Or so it seemed.
Charles Murphy from That Hashtag Show took to Twitter to share that he learned Marvel Studios was discussing whether to make Black Widow R-rated or not. Murphy clarified his statement by saying there was no way to know if it will be R-rated at this point in time, but it's been said that R-rated Marvel movies are a possibility.
It's true that both Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger have said in the past that R-rated Marvel movies weren't out of the question. They didn't say that anything was in the works, but the possibility at least exists.
Of all the projects that Marvel has revealed to be in development, it would make the most sense for Black Widow to be rated R. There are rumors that the movie will be a prequel about Widow's time as an agent of the Red Room, so she definitely was involved in some grisly shit. Violent espionage missions certainly fall under the rated-R umbrella.
If it will be R-rated or not though is anyone's guess. The movie is still in development and we likely won't get word on a rating for a while. Marvel movies have always been PG-13, so this would be new territory for them. I don't think a Black Widow movie would necessarily have to be R-rated but it really depends on what the story is and where director Cate Shortland wants to take the movie.
Details about the Black Widow movie are slim, but it will feature Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as the spy-turned-Avenger. Cate Shortland directs, with a screenplay penned by Jac Schaeffer. There's bound to be more updates about the project down the line, so stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated as soon as we can. For everything Marvel has in the works, check out our Marvel movie release guide.
