Batman Going Rated-R For The First Time Ever
The Batman could be getting an R rating. Here's what we know.
This article is more than 2 years old
The Batman is shaping up to be an intense interpretation of the Caped Crusader and his wild world of crime-fighting. Fans have been anticipating any news they can get about this new production, but a new rumor might end up being a dividing factor when it comes to who is excited for this movie and who is a little wary of it.
Insider Daniel Richtman (via We Got This Covered) is claiming that Warner Bros. is considering allowing The Batman to release with an R rating. It would be the first time a film centered on the Dark Knight has released with an R rating. Of course, his archenemy had Joker release last year and it ended up being a smash hit. Could that be part of the motivation for this possible release?
Releasing a Batman movie with an R rating would have sounded inconceivable only a few years ago. But, after the massive success of movies like Joker, Logan, and both Deadpool films, studios seem to have figured out a way to sell R-rated comic book films to wide audiences. With what we have seen from The Batman, it is not hard to imagine that the movie could be dark and violent enough to warrant a more mature rating.
However, the bigger question here is whether or not an R-rated Batman movie would be profitable in the long run for Warner Bros./DC. It would likely affect any of their merchandising deals since R-rated films can’t do certain things like toy tie-ins. It would also be a newsworthy event if The Batman was given an R rating, and you can bet there would be some pushback from certain parents groups and other similar entities. Is it a smart move to generate publicity with the R rating and could it actually end up driving more people to see the finished film?
There is also the question of exactly how audiences will even see The Batman when it comes out. With WarnerMedia announcing that their entire 2021 slate of theatrical films will be available on HBO Max to stream the very same day, it calls into question if this will become the standard release model for Warner Bros. films moving forward. Would an R rating even be that impactful if The Batman was easily available to stream at home the minute it comes out? Does it actually carry that much weight?
There is no question that The Batman looks to be a very dark take on the world of Bruce Wayne. The trailer (watch below) painted the movie as a gritty murder mystery in the vein of David Fincher’s Se7en. Is the movie shooting for the possibility of a stronger rating? Or have they been crafting the film for an expected PG-13 but are now possibly being encouraged by the studio to add more R-rated material?
No matter what rating it releases with, The Batman remains one of the most intriguing major motion pictures coming down the pipe. We can’t wait to see what it has in store for us.
