Latest news of the DCEU kind, and it’s from what President and Chief Content Officer Toby Emmerich had to say about the upcoming slate of films.
In a recent interview with Variety, Emmerich had this to say.
“I would be surprised if we didn’t at some point make an R-rated DC movie.”
There are two ways to react to this statement, one is to have a total overreaction and scream to the hills saying that all DCEU movies are going to be R-rated and that this will be the best thing ever/kill the franchise dead.
And the other way is not to do that.
But in all seriousness, I find this statement odd. At least, making the point that at least one upcoming DCEU film will be R-rated.
You can tell he’s referring to specifically DCEU films and not just a standalone DC film because: A) if it ain’t part of the extended universe it ain’t cool anymore, and B) Warner Bros. already has an R-rated DC movie, it’s called Watchmen, it’s ain’t half bad.
(Extra note: I know BvS: DoF Ultimate Edition is R-rated, but that film was never produced, made, or initially released as an R-rated film. Meaning the idea for the R-rating only came about as a gimmick after the film’s theatrical release. And let’s be fair here, it’s one of the weakest R-ratings for a film I’ve ever seen.)
The main reason why I think he’d make the point about an upcoming film being rated R, is to jump onto the bandwagon of success created by Fox with Deadpool and Logan. After all, prior to these two films, R-rated comic book movies were not gargantuan box office hits, at best being moderate successes.
However, this does give reason to worry, if only a small one. Much like how Sony and DC botched their attempts at cinematic universes after the immediate success of The Avengers, I can’t help but feel the same for R-rated comic book movies. With studio executives seeing them as the next big money-making thing and trying to take advantage of that.
Perhaps the greatest irony in all of this is how Deadpool and Logan weren’t great films as a direct result of being given the R-rating, but instead the rating simply gave the filmmakers an opportunity to tell stories that were true to the characters, and not just cash in the audience.
At the end of the day though, this is a really minor statement from Emmerich. Whether WB makes an upcoming DCEU film R-rated or not, it’ll no doubt be a tiny blip on their whole slate. This isn’t a big announcement by any stretch of the imagination. Because while Deadpool and Logan have shown that R-rated comic book movies not only have their place, but can also be successes, they are no way going to become the norm.
Source: Variety
What do you guys think of Emmerich’s statement? And which DC property do you think should be given the R-rated treatment in the DCEU? Sound off in the comments below!