Moviefone Editorial

Tag: r rating

  • ‘Joker’ Director Todd Phillips Confirms Film Will Be Rated R

    ‘Joker’ Director Todd Phillips Confirms Film Will Be Rated R

    Warner Bros.

    From the moment the movie was first announced, it was made clear that the upcoming DC standalone feature “Joker” would be an extremely dark take on the iconic villain. And now, director Todd Phillips has confirmed that the film’s rating will reflect that tone.

    In a post shared on Instagram over the weekend, Phillips revealed yet another behind the scenes photo from the flick, featuring titular star Joaquin Phoenix painting his face in the Joker’s signature white makeup.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/ByxyjxZJ0VV/

    It’s a haunting portrait, and the stark black and white imagery suggests that this flick will certainly strike a more somber note than previous interpretations of the character. And as Phillips revealed in replying to a fan comment, the film will be able to explore that darkness in every shade, thanks to an R rating.

    Todd Phillips/Instagram

    While not an entirely shocking announcement (something Phillips himself noted in his response), it’s still reassuring news for fans who have been craving a version of the Joker story that’s less Jared Leto and more Heath Ledger (though, yes, Ledger’s portrayal of the villain was in the PG-13 “The Dark Knight”). Everything we’ve seen so far from the flick suggests that the film will be leaning hard into that R.

    “Joker” features an all-star cast alongside Phoenix, including Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler, and Shea Whigham. It’s slated to hit theaters on October 4.

  • ‘Venom’ Probably Won’t Be Rated R

    ‘Venom’ Probably Won’t Be Rated R

    Sony

    Sony’s upcoming “Spider-Man” spinoff, “Venom,” looks pretty dark, but apparently it’s not going to lean into that vibe too far: The flick is reportedly no longer aiming for an R rating.

    That’s according to Variety, which reports that an R — which was to have been a first in the Marvel-Sony partnership — is “unlikely” at this point for “Venom,” which will instead “push the very limits of PG-13 without crossing over into a higher rating.” And you can thank your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for that.

    Per Variety, Sony executives are worried about an R rating restricting future crossover potential into the world of Peter Parker and co., who have been part of the MCU for several films now. “Venom,” starring Tom Hardy as the titular villain, is currently totally separate from those heroes, and was originally aiming to play up the villain’s horror elements before eventually striking a compromise to also play up the some of the lighter elements of the gritty character.

    “The feeling is [the lower rating] will give the studio greater leeway for future installments that will feature Spider-Man,” Variety reports. ” … Any ‘Spider-Man’ movie will carry a PG-13 rating because the wall-crawler is more family friendly, and if ‘Venom’ is too dark and gory, it might preclude other film match-ups, not just with Peter Parker’s alter-ego, but also with other members of the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

    While that’s certainly disappointing from a creative standpoint, it does make the most financial sense for Sony. We’ll just have to see if fans are understanding about the compromise.

    “Venom” is due in theaters on October 5.

    [via: Variety]