Disney and Marvel are known for their family-friendly movies, but it has now changed as their latest offering, Deadpool & Wolverine, becomes the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to earn an R rating. Given that the threequel’s first two movies, Deadpool and Deadpool 2, are both R-rated, this isn’t surprising. However, director Shawn Levy admits there were conversations about what wasn’t allowed in the film.
In an interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar), Levy revealed that overt drug use was off-limits in Deadpool & Wolverine. But despite Marvel Studios’ restriction, the director still managed to think of a funny way to include it in the film.
“I'm so wary of what I can say, but certainly there were early conversations about overt drug use,” he said. “And we thought that was an interesting conversation. Let's actually write a dialogue scene about having had it.”
True enough, the celebrated film producer made fun of this restriction by adding a joke about it, as seen in the film’s trailer. When Blind AI (Leslie Uggams) asked Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) if he wanted to do some cocaine, the latter cleared that it was one thing that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said was “off limits.” She then tried to use another term, Bolivian marching powder, but Wade stressed Marvel knew “all the slang terms” and had a list.
“Even snowboarding?” Blind AI asked. “Even disco dust,” Wade answered.
Deadpool & Wolverine Makes Marvel History
Deadpool & Wolverine makes Marvel history, being the first MCU movie to have an R rating. The Motion Picture Association’s Classification and Rating Administration announced that the film had been officially rated R for “strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore, and sexual references.” However, though the first two Deadpool films were both R-rated, the threequel is the first to receive a rating for “gore,” suggesting that it will be bloodier than its predecessors.
Feige already addressed the movie’s mature rating on multiple occasions. At CinemaCon in April, he described the film as “f*cking awesome” and confirmed it would be R-rated. Levy also teased that the picture earned its R-rating and revealed how Feige and Marvel Studios gave them the creative freedom to push the envelope.
“We were clear from the get-go,” he told Fandango. “We said, 'Well, the three of us [Levy, Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman] are going to do this, and we've got to be truthful to the tone of a Deadpool movie.”
Hence, Levy cleared that they would not soften the edges and stick to the franchise’s tone of being audacious, funny, and edgy,” just like what fans wanted from Wade and Logan. Thankfully, they got Feige and everyone at Disney’s support whenever they expected pushback.
“They have trusted us and allowed us to do the version of Deadpool & Wolverine that we feel is best,” he continued.
So, though Deadpool & Wolverine is now part of the MCU, it looks like it won’t hold anything back. Sure, there may be some restrictions, but Levy knows how to make fun of it perfectly.
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to hit theaters on July 26, 2024.
