Few frontier films will be able to hold a candle to the visceral and intense nature of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming feature The Revenant (have you seen the maiden trailer?), and that’s a reputation that was upheld today after the MPAA officially rated the director’s 19th century drama as R, citing “strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity.”
Box Office Mojo confirmed the announcement earlier today, and while strong frontier combat may not necessarily scream R rating, Iñárritu has went to extraordinary lengths to capture a gritty realism for his latest picture, which shone brightly during the very first, awe-inspiring trailer for The Revenant.
In fact, earlier this year, reports emerged about the production woes that beleaguered New Regency’s project. Given that the vast majority of the film is shot au naturale using exterior locations and natural lighting, weather proved to be a cruel mistress for Iñárritu and his creative team, with some members even going so far as to describe the process as “a living hell.” A prolonged shoot also had ramifications to the original cast, with Tom Hardy being forced to bow out of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad as filming on The Revenant continued for longer than anticipated.
Collaborating with the film’s cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, Iñárritu still had to shoot the final sequence back in July, leaving him with little choice but to reunite the cast to shoot near Antarctica. An extended production and a waning budget would be enough to fuel apprehensions, but New Regency has remained committed to The Revenant from the beginning, adding that “the performances are extraordinary and the film is great. Arnon and I would be honored and lucky if Alejandro made his next film and the one after that with us.”
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson star in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant, which is on course for a release on Christmas Day.