For many fans of the Merc with a Mouth, a Deadpool movie without violence or swearing is no Deadpool movie at all. So when it was first announced that a PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2 would be heading to cinemas this December, much of the internet was left wondering how this idea could possibly work out.
The controversial re-release – reportedly titled The Deadpool Before Christmas – came up in conversation when writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick sat down with CinemaBlend, and when the pair were asked if editing, ADR work, or censor bleeps were used to exclude the R-rated material, Wernick explained their adjustments as follows:
“Oh, I would say all of the above. And also again, the narrative device [of The Princess Bride story], the new stuff that we shot really kind of frames it in a fun, interesting, cool way that I think people who have seen the movie already will want to go see this because it’s outrageous and fun and funny in only a way Deadpool can kind of tell a story. I think it’s going to be a one that not only kids are going to want to see but hopefully, you know, people who have known and loved Deadpool and have seen all of the first and second one will go see because they’ll be like, ‘Holy shit, I can’t believe that they did that.’”
Just recently, Wernick revealed that entirely new scenes were shot a couple of months ago for the PG-13 cut, and while fans may still be skeptical about this project, it’s likely that plenty of them will be at least a little curious of what the new footage has to offer. Should they give this film a chance, Reese suggests that they could be pleasantly surprised:
“And the real surprise… one of the great surprises of it is how well Deadpool works at PG-13. We always wondered, because the original Deadpool, we flirted with PG-13 a couple times on it and we ended up going R, and it does give it a certain edge and a certain quality that we’re glad we turned it into an R. But trimming it down to PG-13, aside from the fact that the movie is now 10 minutes long — I’m kidding — but trimming it down to PG-13 really left basically the same movie there. I mean, it was shocking how well it works. Anyway, it doesn’t feel defanged in the way that people might expect, or critics might worry about. It still feels pretty darn edgy and yet, it’s more accessible to a younger audience.”
Admittedly, we heard similar claims from the team behind the PG-13 Venom, and we’ll leave it to you to decide how well that turned out. All the same, this family-friendly version certainly has its supporters, including actress Zazie Beetz, who claimed earlier this month that her 11-year-old brother still hasn’t seen the film, suggesting a need for a cut that parents will let their kids watch.
Regardless of whether or not you’re sold on the idea, The Deadpool Before Christmas will be hitting theaters on December 21st, 2018, but if you’d rather the Merc with a Mouth didn’t have to watch his language, then at least the X-Force movie should be delivering a more traditional take on Wade whenever it comes our way.