Disney Has No Plans for an R-Rated Marvel Movie

Even in the wake of the surprising box office successof ‘Deadpool’, Disney CEO Bob Iger says they have no plans to make R-rated Marvel movies.

When box office analysts first started tracking Deadpool in January, they were estimating that it would earn somewhere between $55 million and $60 million during its opening weekend. For an R-rated movie, those numbers are certainly solid, but the Merc With the Mouth shocked the world by bringing in $132.4 million, breaking the record for the highest-grossing R-rated debut by nearly $40 million. On the heels of this unprecedented success, many have wondered if it will open the door for the Disney-owned Marvel Studios to consider R-rated adventures, but it seems that isn't the case. The Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller reveals that Disney CEO Robert A. Iger shut down this notion.

‘Deadpool’ Crushes the Box Office Again with $31.5M

‘Deadpool’ wins for a third weekend in a row with $31.5 million, beating new releases ‘Gods of Egypt’, ‘Eddie the Eagle’ and ‘Triple 9’.

For a movie that may not have been made if not for leaked test footage, Deadpool is proved to be a box office gamble that has already paid off in spades. The superhero adventure has taken in $285.6 million domestically and $266.4 million internationally for a global total of $552.1 million. Deadpool will face three new releases at the box office this weekend, Lionsgate's Gods of Egypt, 20th Century Fox's Eddie the Eagle and Open Road Films' Triple 9. Deadpool had no trouble winning for a third weekend in a row, taking in $31.5 million.

While Deadpool has had success beyond most analysts' expectations, its second weekend drop of 57.4% could mean that it may not have as much staying power in theaters. For example, throughout Star Wars: The Force Awakens' 10-week run in theaters, they have only posted a decrease of more than 50% once, and they have consistently managed to drop somewhere in the 30% range almost every weekend, which is surely a factor in its record-breaking success of $921.7 million domestic and $2.04 billion worldwide. Then again, Deadpool only cost $58 million to produce, so it is already wildly successful, even if it does continue to drop 50% or more each weekend.  After receiving a slew of positive reviews, Deadpool shattered the record for highest grossing R-rated opening weekend of $91.7 million, held for 13 years by The Matrix Reloaded. It also broke Fifty Shades of Grey's February record of $85.1 million, along with its four-day President's Day weekend record ($93 million), the record for highest-grossing R-rated comic book adaptation (300, $70.8 million), largest winter opening weekend (American Sniper, $89.2 million) and it became the biggest opening ever for 20th Century Fox, surpassing 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith record of $108.4 million.  Gods of Egypt opened in second place with $14 million, followed byKung Fu Panda 3 in third place with $9 million, Risen in fourth place with $7 million, Eddie the Eagle in fifth place with $6.3 million andTriple 9 in sixth place with $6.1 million. The projections are certainly interesting, since the R-rated thriller Triple 9 is only expected to open in 2,000 theaters and it currently stands just below "Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes, with a 59% score. Gods of Egypt is expected to open in 3,000 theaters, while Eddie the Eagle is also opening in approximately 2,000 theaters. While there is no RT score for Gods of Egypt yet, Eddie the Eagle is a critical hit with a 76% Fresh rating. It's possible that Triple 9potentially out-grossing two PG-13 movies could be a by-product ofDeadpool's unconventional success, as fans may be hungry for more R-rated content.  Triple 9 follows a group of thieves who plan to kill a young LAPD officer to divert the police away from a daring heist they're perpetrating across town. The title Triple 9 refers to police code indicating that an officer needs immediate assistance. The all-star cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor,Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet, Aaron Paul, Teresa Palmer, Gal Gadot,Woody Harrelson, Norman Reedus and Clifton Collins Jr.. John Hillcoatdirects from a script by newcomer Matt Cook.  Gods of Egypt is an action-adventure inspired by the classic mythology of Egypt, where magic, monsters, gods and madness reign throughout the palaces and pyramids of the Nile River Valley. With the survival of mankind hanging in the balance, an unexpected hero takes a thrilling journey to save the world and rescue his true love. Set (Gerard Butler), the merciless god of darkness, has usurped Egypt's throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. With only a handful of heroic rebels opposing Set's savage rule, Bek (Brenton Thwaites), a bold and defiant mortal, enlists the aid of powerful god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in an unlikely alliance against the evil overlord. As their breathtaking battle against Set and his henchmen take them into the afterlife and across the heavens, both god and mortal must pass tests of courage and sacrifice if they hope to prevail in the spectacular final confrontation.  Inspired by true events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael "Eddie" Edwards (Taron Egerton), an unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself - even as an entire nation was counting him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. The supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Rune Temte and Tim McInnerny in director Dexter Fletcher's drama.  Rounding out the top 10 this weekend is Triple 9 ($6.1 million), How to Be Single ($5.1 million), The Witch ($5 million), Race ($4.2 million) andThe Revenant ($3.8 million). Also opening in limited release isCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, which will also debut simultaneously on Netflix, a re-issue of Akira Kurosawa's Ran andTere Bin Laden - Dead Or Alive and a pair of documentaries, IFC's King Georges and Gravitas Ventures' The Last Man On the Moon. It will be interesting to see how Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny fares in theaters while simultaneously streaming at the same time. This strategy didn't exactly pay off for Netflix's first narrative feature, Beasts of No Nation, which only earned $90,777 in a two-week theatrical run.  Looking ahead to next weekend, there will be four new movies hitting theaters, to kick off the month of March. Take a look at the box office estimates for this weekend, and check back on Tuesday for next week's predictions. Disney's Zootopia, Focus Features' action sequel London Has Fallen, Paramount's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and The Other Side of the Door will all open in wide release. Arriving in limited release is Broad Green Pictures' Knight of Cups, the latest from Terrence Malick, Magnolia's The Wave and Strand's Mekong Hotel. Be sure to check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, but, until then, take a look at the projections for the weekend of February 26.

‘Deadpool’ Will Appear in Future ‘X-Men’ & ‘X-Force’ Movies

X-Men: Apocalypse will not only bring the current trilogy to an end, but it will also serve as the final chapter in the current X-Men universe that kicked off in 2000 with the original. Sure, Hugh Jackman will return in his final sequel Wolverine 3, but that R-rated adventure, said to be based on the Old Man Logan comic book story, will look a lot different from what has come before it. There will be more X-Men movies in the future, but they are headed down a different path. Part of that path includes X-Force and The New Mutants movies. And they will all be heavily influenced by the recent success of Deadpool.

The big question is, how so? And will Wade Wilson crossover into these other movies? Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick say yes. But it will be a process. Don't expect to see Deadpool in an X-Men movie for a while, as that franchise is currently set in the 80s, with Wade Wilson's latest adventure stuck firmly in present day, thirty years later. The X-Men need to catch up to the present day timeline. Says the writers.

" The...issue at hand is the 'X-Men' universe timeline. The 'X-Men' series is currently set in the 1980s, 'Deadpool,' is set three decades later in our present day. It's a timeline that will eventually catch up I would imagine. But Simon [Kingberg's] more the keeper of that universe and maybe we'll see more X-Men playing in Deadpool's sandbox and probably Deadpool playing in their sandbox at some point."

And in terms of X-Force, the duo, who are currently penning Deadpool 2, want to follow a similar trajectory as to what happened with Iron Man and Marvel's The Avengers. They hint that Wade Wilson will definitely be a part of X-Force. And they will get there eventually. The writers even tease that they may have a hand in helping craft the firstX-Force movie for the big screen.

"If you look at the 'Iron Man' model they had two 'Iron Man' [movies] before they had an 'Avengers,' and if left up to us, I think that would be a very prudent path. We will have a hand in it. I think everything that 'Deadpool' is involved in we will have a hand in and it's a universe that Ryan [Reynolds] and us are very close to and very protective of, so I do think we would absolutely involved in that franchise as well. If it's Deadpool related, I think you'll see some of our fingerprints on that."

It has already been confirmed that the green lit Deadpool 2 will introduce Cable. And it may bring in X-Force team member Domino as Cable's love interest. While neither writer mentions The New Mutantsby name, it was confirmed before Deadpool opened that Negasonic Teenage Warhead is wearing a New Mutants uniform. And this has lead to speculation that she will help head up that particular team of superheroes when they eventually make it to the big screen. The writers are careful to mention that Deadpool is its own franchise, and won't be relying solely on the X-Men universe to move into the future.

"Deadpool's now become a brand and franchise unto himself, independent of the 'X-Men' and that's great. And that gives the studio two franchises in one, but I think it is its own franchise, and you'll see synergy between those two properties, but they're two very distinct brands."

In the Marvel comic books, Deadpool was a member of X-Force at a time when they were serving as a covert ops team. At that point in the run, Cable was not involved with the group. When the movie hits the big screen, it is rumored that it will be led by Cable, with Deadpool only lending a helping hand. He may only have a cameo.

X-Force was first announced back in 2013, when 20th Century Fox brought on Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) to write the script and possibly direct. His script features Cable, who is Cyclops' son and endowed with telepathy powers, and Domino, an expert marksman with enhanced reflexes, making her an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Also included is Warpath, a Native American who has regenerative healing abilities and super strength. And Cannonball, who can create force fields and flies with jet propulsion. X-Force doesn't have a set release date. And we're not sure if Fox will make it the next Marvel movie afterWolverine 3.

X-Force is in development .

Fans Petition for ‘Deadpool’ to Host ‘Saturday Night Live’

Not since Pee-wee Herman has an actor appeared in character for an entire episode of Saturday Night Live, but Deadpool fans are petitioning to have Ryan Reynolds suit up for the late night comedy skit show. And they want to see him as the Merc with the Mouth in all the sketches. This doesn't sound like something Saturday Night Live is apt to do by any means. But one enterprising fan by the name ofAndrew Stege has started a petition on change.org to have the Marvel superhero take over the stage at Studio 8H.

Andrew Stege is currently petitioning Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds, the Saturday Night Liveproduction staff and NBC. He has exceeded his goal of 25,000 signatures, with 29,723 supporters in favor of seeing Deadpool do live comedy. He has now set a new goal of 35,000, and is only 5,277 signatures away from that brass ring. If you want to help push the cause forward, you can join the cause here. This is what Andrew Stege has to say about the petition.

"We've all seen the trailers, the magazine covers, the viral videos, and the billboards by now, so what's left for Deadpool(Ryan Reynolds) to do? HOST SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AS DEADPOOL!!!! How would this not be hilarious having Deadpool in sketches, breaking the 4th wall, and inserting some of his brand of humor (obviously toned down a bit for network television)!?!?! I have not watched a full episode of SNL in years because I just haven't been able to stomach an entire episode, but having Deadpool host, star, and be all over the episode would get the DVR set so I can watch it again and again!!! Not to mention, depending on the musical guest, how awesome would it be to have some Deadpool interpretive dancing while the musical guest was playing? There's unlimited possibilities!!! Sign this petition in hopes that it'll find it's way to the 'powers that be' and get that idea churning in their heads! Bring Deadpool to host SNL!!!"

Ryan Reynolds has hosted Saturday Night Live one time in the past. He appeared in Season 35 during 2009, with musical guest Lady Gaga. This happened the same year he appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverineas Deadpool. But he did not appear in character. It is very unlikely that SNL would have Ryan Reynolds suit up for an entire SNL episode. But it's possible that he could appear in costume for Weekend Update.

Deadpool is a true box office phenomenon, and is expected to rule in its second weekend. 20th Century Fox has already green lit a sequel, with Ryan Reynolds returning as the title character. Original writersRhett Reese and Paul Wernick are already working on the new screenplay, which will introduce fan-favorite mutant Cable. And original director Tim Miller is expected to return. What do you think? Should Wade Wilson take over SNL for a night? Or is that just ridiculous?