Ryan Reynolds has revealed he officially pitched an R-rated Star Wars movie. The future of Star Wars feels brighter than ever, with the franchise due to return to the big screen next year with The Mandalorian & Grogu. But meanwhile, Lucasfilm continue to plan further upcoming Star Wars movies – and it seems the studio received one surprising pitch.
Speaking to Scott Mendelson on The Box Office Podcast, Ryan Reynolds reveals he’s actually pitched an R-rated Star Wars movie to Disney:

“I pitched to Disney I said, ‘Why don’t we do an R-rated ‘Star Wars’ property? It doesn’t have to be overt, A+ characters, there’s a wide range of characters you could use.’ And I don’t mean R-rated to be vulgar, R-rated as a Trojan Horse for emotion. I always wonder why studios don’t want to just gamble on something like that.”

There’s More To An R-Rating Than Blood & Gore

Oddly enough, Reynolds’ comments feel more like a criticism of franchises in general than anything else. When he refers to an R-rating, he isn’t talking about sex and violence; rather, he appears to believe such a rating is necessary for true emotional complexity. He does seem to have something of a point, because Andor – the most sophisticated, nuanced and character-driven Star Wars story to date – was certainly a lot more mature than standard fare.
Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy has teased a Star Wars horror, perhaps hinting something might actually be in the works. In Gilroy’s view, his successful TV show should serve as a launchpad for a whole new type of Star Wars story. No doubt Ryan Reynolds would agree.
Our Take On An R-Rated Star Wars Movie

Oddly enough, the fandom’s own interest in an R-rated Star Wars movie is probably the biggest problem. There’s constant online discussion about the idea, and most of it does indeed see the R-rating as an excuse for overt violence. One popular idea is that an R-rated movie should feature Darth Vader, showing the Dark Lord of the Sith cutting a bloody swathe through his opponents. The danger is that fans will hear “R-rated Star Wars” and become fixated on that, rather than character and nuance.
In truth, of course, an R-rating is not essential for real depth of character-work. All it really takes is a strong creative vision, a writer with a sense of character at the forefront of their writing who isn’t really interested in Easter eggs and fan-service. The kind of R-rated Star Wars Reynolds envisions probably isn’t necessary – but there’s something quite disturbing in the fact he believes it is.
Source: The Box Office Podcast

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions