Disney CEO Says Deadpool Will Remain R-Rated

The Merc with a Mouth may have joined up with the House of Mouse, but that doesn't mean he's planning on minding his manners at the dinner table.

In the wake of its historic acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney CEO Bob Iger is spending the day telling people what to expect from the company's future—and according to The Hollywood Reporter, he's got good news for fans of Deadpool.

In purchasing Fox's assets, Disney is now on a path to acquiring the creative rights to the entire X-Men franchise, that being one of the few Marvel Comics properties that for years hasn't been under the control of Marvel Studios. But the family-friendly company is also going to end up with a significant number of adult-oriented properties that are flatly incongruous with the usually G and PG-rated fare that Disney likes to produce.

At the exact center of that Venn diagram is Deadpool, a cult-favorite superhero whose debut movie proudly sported a hard R-rating. 

Fans of the character, next to be seen in the untitled Deadpool sequel, have plenty of reason to be concerned that future Deadpool movies may be neutered in tone to fit the Disney brand. But according to Iger, that's not going to be the case.

"[Deadpool] clearly has been and will be Marvel branded," Iger said. "But we think there might be an opportunity for a Marvel-R brand for something like Deadpool. As long as we let the audiences know what's coming, we think we can manage that fine." 

From the sound of things, the studio is mulling the idea of launching a more grown-up brand or label, now that it possesses an embarrassment of adult-oriented riches in its acquisitions from the Fox vault. It'd be a wise move, not just to keep fans happy, but for financial reasons, too—Deadpool is the highest-grossing of all the X-Men movies, earning $783 million worldwide and single-handedly changing the game when it comes to what audiences expect and want from the superhero genre.

There are a lot of troubling things about a Disney entertainment monopoly, and warranted fears that the studio will set about defanging every property it owns to hit a broad four-quadrant appeal. Disney may be destined to take over the world whether we like it or not—but the world is not G-rated, and hopefully they're willing to make movies that reflect that. The best way the company can avoid being perceived negatively in this regard would be to let all of its new, weird, adult-oriented content flourish—starting with Deadpool, because why not?

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has offered up his own commentary on the Disney-Fox merger over the last couple of weeks, writing on Twitter that it was "Time to uncork that explosive sexual tension between Deadpool and Mickey Mouse." He also shared a photo of the character being kicked out of Disney World for, um, violating company property.

Never change, Deadpool. Seriously—don't do it.

The Untitled Deadpool Sequel arrives in theaters on June 1, 2018.