Motion Picture Starring Batman And Superman To Receive An R Rating

Last night, word broke out across the interwebs that Zack Snyder's forthcoming motion picture, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, would receive an R-rated cut on its Blu-Ray release. This wasn't an unprecedented move, considering that the Warner Bros. blockbuster, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, had received an R-rated cut on home video. It's also worth noting that past Zack Snyder features like Watchmen, Dawn of The Dead and Sucker Punch have all received extended cuts on DVD/Blu-Ray. So, is this the most unexpected development of all-time? No. And it's also one that likely pre-dated the success of R-rated superhero movie Deadpool too, given the aforementioned Hobbit feature receiving an R-rated version this past November.

That being said, holy hell, why is there a live-action Superman with an R rating? There's a point where embracing the "DARKNESS!!" aesthetic reaches a point of self-parody, and the glum nature of the dismally boring Man of Steel already crossed it. This? This feels like something you'd see on South Park?Saturday Night Live/Family Guy as a parody of the studios devotion to the angst-ridden demeanor of Man of Steel (which, interestingly, doesn't look to translate to all future live-action DC Comics movies, if the colorful and fun Suicide Squad trailer is anything to go by). I should also mention that this R-rated cut will almost certainly be one of the lightest R-ratings in history, and will likely contain a sprinkling of extra blood and one or two badly ADR'd f-bombs. I says this mainly out of my experience with the Unrated cuts of numerous big studio comedies, which promise lewd content on the cover and then provide only a smattering of raunchy material in the extended sequences.

The theatrical PG-13 cut of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Divorce Court arrives in just 30 days exactly. One thing's for certain, this film has been keeping everyone on their toes throughout its never boring production, so it'll be interesting to see if the film itself is any good. And even if it's a Man of Steel sized turkey, perhaps this R-rated version will provide a more quality experience. And hey, maybe it'll also deliver the hard-R love-making scene between Batman and Superman that the world over has been demanding.