Deadpool Writers On If The Film’s R Rating Was Necessary For Success

The huge success of the Deadpool can understandably be considered a surprise by some, especially considering the film’s rocky road to production and release. The fact that it did succeed means that Hollywood executives stand to learn something from it, but what if the lessons they take away are the wrong ones?

So what are the wrong lessons? That was the question put to writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick in an interview with ComingSoon, and they say those studio executives may be putting too much emphasis on the movie’s R rating.

“Well I think a lot of people just felt like the R-rating had everything to do with it,” Reese says. “While I agree to a certain extent, I personally feel like a PG-13 Deadpool still would have succeeded because I think it’s more about the character. You can’t just slap an R-rating on something and have it be good. That’s definitely one element of a lot of other elements. I think people are attributing a little too much to that. That said, having the ability to break those rules with an R-rating did help us.”

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The R rating may not have been solely responsible for Deadpool‘s success, but it did open up certain avenues for the filmmakers that would otherwise have been closed.

Whether it can all be attributed to the R rating or not, Deadpool has certainly been a huge win for 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movies franchise. Deadpool has an 83.32 ComicBook.com Composite Score of 83.32 and a User Rating of 4.13 out of 5, ranking it the sixth-highest comic book movie based on either metric.

Based upon Marvel Comics‘ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Deadpool stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Brianna Hildebrand, and Stefan Kapičić.

The Deadpool movie’s sequel is currently in pre-production. Reynolds will return with writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. David Leitch will direct. The film will introduce Deadpool’s time-traveling mutant partner, Cable, as well as X-Force member Domino. Members of the original film’s supporting cast are also expected to return.

More Deadpool: Colossus Actor Reveals Which X-Men Movie He’d Like To Appear In Next / 5 Great R-Rated X-Men Movie Ideas / Brianna Hildebrand On Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s More Mature Role In The Sequel