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Blade Will Be R-Rated So Everyone Calm The Hell Down About It

Blade director Yann Demange has confirmed that the film will be R-rated so everyone can calm the hell down about it.

Published Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:17:06 -0600

Article Summary

Director Yann Demange confirms that the Blade movie will be R-rated.
The film has faced production challenges with multiple writers and directors involved.
Despite budget cuts, Demange remains optimistic about the outcome of Blade.
The film, starring Mahershala Ali, is tentatively set to release on February 14, 2025.

Ever since it was announced that characters like Blade and Deadpool would be making their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there has been breathless reporting from people frantic about the fact that the films absolutely must be R-rated at all costs because, apparently, that was the only way these characters could exist. That is ignoring all of the excellent horror and comedies that have come out that aren't R and have done just fine for themselves, but that was, for some, not something they were even willing to entertain. It was reason enough to declare that any Blade or Deadpool film that Marvel Studios would make would be Disney-fied or whatever and, therefore, bad. Then, after years of people telling them that Deadpool 3 would be a return to form and R-rated, it seemed like people were finally starting to believe it for that film, so now it was Blade's turn for everyone to freak out about the rating of a movie that isn't even in production yet. It seems that they aren't going to let the rating rumor fester for Blade this time around, as director Yann Demange confirmed to Deadline that the film will be R-rated, saying, "They gave me the R, which is so important." So everyone can calm down about it.

Marvel Brings On Yann Demange As Th — Yann Demange at the "White Boy Rick" screening at the Picturehouse Central, London. Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Blade is a production that has had some ups and downs with multiple writers and directors coming onto the project, and, despite having an incredible leading man with Mahershala Ali, they couldn't nail the film down. In a recent article about Marvel Studios and how they are reacting to 2023 being a less than stellar year, Blade is a film that could see a cut in budget dipping under $100 million. That is, for the record, not a bad thing at all, and the budgets of these movies are out of control. In the interview with Demage, he spoke about what he wanted to get out of Blade compared to what he got out of his recent short film Dammi.

"I come out of this wanting to be more open, more vulnerable, and bring a more personal aspect to my work," he said. "But for Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor. I'm excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that. He's got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen."

While the strike is still holding up production for now, Blade currently has a February 14, 2025, release date, but it's unclear if the schedule will shift even if the strike ends in the next couple of days.

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