If you’re looking for some family-friendly holiday fun, Deadpool 2 is probably not at the top of your list, but worry not! This year’s most successful R-rated comedy is returning to theaters in December with an all-new PG-13 cut. The edited version, called Once Upon a Deadpool, will be in theaters from December 12 through Christmas Eve, just in time to take grandma and/or your little cousin to the movies.
The recut film will edit the swearing and violence down to a PG-13 rating, plus it will include a framing device that features Kevin Arnold Fred Savage spoofing Savage’s classic role in The Princess Bride.
But the re-release isn’t just for teens to get to see Deadpool 2 on the big screen. One dollar of every ticket sold will go to F-ck Cancer, which is temporarily calling itself “Fudge Cancer” to keep in line with the film’s new rating. This is apropos, as Wade Wilson’s cancer diagnosis is what leads him down the path to becoming Deadpool.
Ryan Reynolds said of the rerelease, “Fox has been asking for a PG-13 basically since the start in 2006, I’ve said no since 2006. Now, this one time, I said ‘Yes’ on two conditions. First, a portion of the proceeds had to go to charity. Second, I wanted to kidnap Fred Savage. The second condition took some explaining …”
Savage himself responded by saying, “While my participation in this film was anything but voluntary, I am happy to learn that Fudge Cancer will be the beneficiary of this shameless cash grab.”
Writer Rhett Reese said, “We’ve driven a wedge between parents and their tweens and we hear about it all the time. This [PG-13 revamp] is a way to try to appease those parents.”
20th Century Fox’s Deadpool franchise has been an unexpected (by studio execs) success for the studio, which struggled for years with star and producer Ryan Reynolds over the film’s R-rating. Luckily, Reynolds’ insistence on an R-rating prevailed, and the results were beyond expectations. 2016’s Deadpool made $132.4 million on its opening weekend, making it the most profitable opening for an R-rated film ever. The film went on to gross nearly $800 million worldwide, off a budget of $58 million.
Deadpool 2 was also a big earner, taking home $734 million worldwide. Despite its massive success, few other superhero films have gone for the R-rating. A bloodier, more intense Logan ran with an R-rating and earned $619 million worldwide, but other studios have not been as quick as Fox to jump on the bandwagon.
Sony’s Venom was long-rumored to be rated R, but ended up going with a PG-13 cut, also with a successful opening. We’ll have to wait until December to see how audiences respond to a PG-13 Deadpool 2.
(via Deadline, image: 20th Century Fox)
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