Earlier this year, fans were treated to the latest R-rated superhero flick when Deadpool burst into theaters. The violent, raunchy film delighted fans and critics with its unwholesome aesthetic - and Hollywood took notice of the film's box office power. Shortly after Deadpool hit theaters, rumors began circulating that "Logan" would be given an R-rating as well. Fans know the final Wolverine film will carry the weighty rating when it heads into theaters, and Logan's director recently revealed how Hugh Jackman helped ensure the film got its R-rating.
Earlier today, James Mangold told attendees at the 2016 Butt-Numb-A-Thon event that Jackman sacrificed pay for the R-rating. According to Ain't It Cool's Eric Vespe, the director admitted Jackman took a salary cut to secure the risky rating. Of course, the paycut definitely made 20th Century Fox more willing to pursue the higher rating. In the past, R-rated films have historically earned less at the box office because only older viewers could purchase tickets. If Jackman did take the reported cut, then the studio had less money invested in Logan on the front end and helped them fiscally back the R-rating.
The decision to level-up the Wolverine film's rating has seemed to pay off so far. The 40-minute clip received universal praise from those in attendance, and the hype has driven fans to anticipate Logan more so than ever before. Of course, the public has been teased with a few very R-rated images from Logan already. When the film's international trailer debuted, the footage contained one NSFW photo of Wolverine thrusting his adamantium claws through someone's skull. Fans can see the bloodied weapons poking out from the baddie's cranium, and the image was more than enough to get longtime X-Men fans pumped.
The film stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as Logan/Wolverine and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Charles Xavier/Professor X. The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook (Gone Girl), Richard E. Grant (Game of Thrones), Stephen Merchant (Movie 43), Eriq La Salle (ER), Elise Neal (Scream 2), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Orange is the New Black), and Dafne Keen (The Refugees).