Written By Mikey Sutton • Editor-in-Chief • Owner
Blade may have the bite but not the blood horror fans expect when he debuts in the MCU. According to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the new Blade reboot will aim for a PG-13.
1998’s Blade doesn’t receive the historical acknowledgement it deserves; however, the R-rated vampire movie was technically Marvel’s first theatrical superhero movie.
1986’s Howard the Duck was basically a comedy.
What followed were unconnected Marvel superhero movies – 1989’s The Punisher, 1990’s Captain America, and 1994’s The Fantastic Four – that didn’t reach the cinemas.
Those three movies with their Kmart budgets represented a now long-gone period wherein comic-book films were looked at as B-movie fodder.
While Blade took inspiration from ’70s blacksploitation fare, it had a serious tone and was definitely respectful to its comic-book roots.
In fact, many argued that the Blade movie was actually superior to its four-color origins.
Blade was also gory and violent; it certainly wouldn’t reflect Disney’s family-friendly image.
Then again, neither will Deadpool 3; that sequel is keeping its R-rated structure, though.
But, as of right now, Blade won’t.
Marvel Studios Blade Reboot Will Have A PG-13 Rating
Image: Newline
During Disney’s TCA event, Kevin Feige explained that:
other than Deadpool, which has already established itself as a certain genre and a certain rating, that we already said we would not mess with when we started working on Deadpool — which we have — other than that, we haven’t encountered a story or a storyline or a character’s journey that a PG-13 rating, or the tone, or the ratings we’ve been using up to this point has prevented us [from telling that story.]
The missing word here seems to be yet.
Although Kevin Feige seems to be settled on this decision, sources tell me that it isn’t an open and shut case.
In terms of other R-rated MCU movies, that is.
If Deadpool 3 is received well and earns a billion or so with an R rating, it could swing the door back open to over-18 MCU films.
However, do not expect to see Spider-Man and or prominent Avengers in them.
Disney isn’t about to bite the hand that feeds them.
Related: Moon Knight to Fight Luke Cage in Upcoming Avengers Movie
