Let’s just start this off by saying, this will never happen (at least not in a theatrically released version), but it’s fun to dream, so here goes.
Catching up with MTV (via Latino Review, though the video now seems to have been pulled), Hugh Jackman revealed that he has been talking with director James Mangold about an R-rated, grown-ups’ version of “The Wolverine” and it’s something they’re keeping as an idea for now as the picture continues to develop and (hopefully) shoot sometime next year.
“There’s such great temptation to make an R-rated Wolverine. I’ve always felt that. I know a lot of fans would like that. I totally get it,” Jackman said. “If there was ever a superhero that was going to be R-rated, it’s Wolverine. So my thing is, which [director] James Mangold and I talked about, is let’s not put it off the table. There’s even a talk of us doing two versions, as in finding a way for us to do both as you shoot it, which could be really cool.”
Again, this naughty version of “The Wolverine” will never happen, at least not theatrically. Considering how many dollars are on the line these days with blockbusters (and how many toys they want to sell), studios want to make sure everyone and their grandma can see their big action/comic book hero flicks. And just look at the track record of 20th Century Fox over the past few years: “Live Free Or Die Hard” was PG-13 (with an unrated cut on DVD); same deal for “Terminator Salvation” and hell, even Ridley Scott‘s upcoming “Prometheus” will probably go that route as well, as they are already shooting two different versions with a “decision” to be made later as to which one will hit theaters.
So while it’s fun to fantasize about an f-bomb-dropping, boob-filled and blood-soaked “The Wolverine” don’t count on it happening at your local multiplex. Fox will want this long-awaited movie to be a massive summer hit, and that doesn’t happen by shutting kids out with an R-rating. “The Wolverine” aims to start shooting next summer.