In recent years
, Deadpool,
Logan and
Joker have all proven that R-rated comic book films can work on the big screen. However, was sets the latter apart is the fact that it didn't have a unique, fourth-wall breaking novelty character or a beloved actor playing a character for the final time after a 17-year run. On paper, Joker was a risk that even the studio was unsure of, as director Todd Phillips has revealed in past interviews that WB came close to deciding not to make the film.
Today is a different story as
Joker now stands at $1.050B and continues to quietly break box office records- all from a very modest production budget of ~$70M. WB is rumored to be launching a
DC Black film line of similar projects but other studios might beat them to the punch. One such character that would lend itself to a similar formula is Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock aka
Venom. Speaking to CinemaBlend, producer Matt Tolmach admitted that Sony and his fellow producers are indeed looking into releasing both a PG-13 and R-rated version of the sequel.
"
I mean, I think you always have to think about [it], now that that works. Having said that, our movie worked really well. Our franchise exists as it is, and I don't think anybody is looking to just say, ‘Hey, they [did it]!’ We have a place in the world. So it isn't like suddenly everybody's considering what to do with the rating. …"
"I think what Joker does is it tells you that you can succeed. For a very long time, that was the narrative. And Deadpool sort of wrestled that to the turf, and then Logan, but for a long time, that was considered totally forbidden. … So you know, I think it's the greatest thing in the world that R-rated movies are being embraced by massive audiences. And it just means that there are more opportunities for that kind of storytelling."
Andy Serkis replaces Ruben Fleischer as director for
Venom 2, with Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady expected to have an expanded role as the primary antagonist. The film is began shooting in November 2019 for an October 2, 2020 release date.
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