Up until recently, the major studios have tended to shy away from making big budget R-rated movies, given that restricting the size of their audience could have a major impact on box office takings. Some of the most expensive R-rated projects ever made only seemed to confirm that long-held belief, with the $185 million Blade Runner 2049 and $200 million Terminator: Dark Fate both disappointing commercially.
That being said, the recent success of the Deadpool franchise, Logan and Joker has shown that adult-orientated blockbusters are more than capable of raking in big bucks if the material is strong enough, even if Marvel Studios seem to be dragging their feet when it comes to deciding if they want Deadpool 3 to follow suit.
Not every big name franchise needs an R-rated movie to stand out in a crowd, of course, but we’ve nonetheless heard that Lucasfilm are now seriously thinking of adopting a darker and more mature approach to some of their in-development Star Wars stories. According to our intel – which comes from the same sources that told us Ahsoka Tano will show up in The Mandalorian season 2 and Percy Jackson will be rebooted as a streaming series, both of which were correct – the studio are said to be considering every option as they try to determine the future of the long-running sci-fi series, including R-rated outings.
While it obviously isn’t going to mark a sudden and jarring shift into foul-mouthed and gruesomely violent sci-fi, given the continued backlash faced by a succession of recent Star Wars projects, the higher-ups aren’t ruling anything out just yet and are keen on the idea of finally taking some major creative risks.
The Order 66 movie that we heard was in the works seems like an ideal candidate for the R-rated treatment, but with Lucasfilm being owned by Disney, there’s every chance that the staunchly family-friendly company could put their foot down and make it clear that Star Wars will remain PG-13 as it often has been. As such, it remains to be seen what’ll happen, but we’re told that R-rated projects are something Lucasfilm are keen to explore and with any luck, the Mouse House will get on board with it.