Ryan Reynolds has revealed he officially pitched an R-ratedStar Warsmovie. The future ofStar Warsfeels brighter than ever, with the franchise due to return to the big screen next year withThe Mandalorian & Grogu. But meanwhile, Lucasfilm continue to plan furtherupcomingStar Warsmovies- and it seems the studio received one surprising pitch.
Speaking to Scott Mendelson onThe Box Office Podcast, Ryan Reynolds reveals he’s actually pitched an R-ratedStar Warsmovie to Disney:
“I pitched to Disney I said, ‘Why don’t we do an R-rated ‘Star Wars’ property? It doesn’t have to be overt, A+ characters, there’s a wide range of characters you could use.’ And I don’t mean R-rated to be vulgar,R-rated as a Trojan Horse for emotion. I always wonder why studios don’t want to just gamble on something like that.”
There’s More To An R-Rating Than Blood & Gore
Oddly enough,Reynolds' comments feel more like a criticism of franchises in general than anything else. When he refers to an R-rating, he isn’t talking about sex and violence; rather, he appears to believe such a rating is necessary for true emotional complexity. He does seem to have something of a point, becauseAndor- the most sophisticated, nuanced and character-drivenStar Warsstory to date - was certainly a lot more mature than standard fare.
Andorshowrunner Tony Gilroy has teased aStar Warshorror, perhaps hinting something might actually be in the works. In Gilroy’s view, his successful TV show should serve as a launchpad for a whole new type ofStar Warsstory. No doubt Ryan Reynolds would agree.
Our Take On An R-Rated Star Wars Movie
Oddly enough, the fandom’s own interest in an R-ratedStar Warsmovie is probably the biggest problem. There’s constant online discussion about the idea, and most of it does indeed see the R-rating as an excuse for overt violence. One popular idea is that an R-rated movie should feature Darth Vader, showing the Dark Lord of the Sith cutting a bloody swathe through his opponents. The danger is that fans will hear “R-ratedStar Wars” and become fixated on that, rather than character and nuance.
In truth, of course,an R-rating is not essential for real depth of character-work. All it really takes is a strong creative vision, a writer with a sense of character at the forefront of their writing who isn’t really interested in Easter eggs and fan-service. The kind of R-ratedStar WarsReynolds envisions probably isn’t necessary - but there’s something quite disturbing in the fact he believes it is.
