‘Venom’ Producer Wants Possible Sequel to Stay PG-13
A number of Venom fans got collectively bummed out when the film was officially revealed to be PG-13, and after the movie has been a hit, it seems like there could be a possibility for an R-rated sequel. Unfortunately, news for these fans might not get better, as producer Avi Arad has just said that he wants a sequel to avoid an R-rating.
Talking to Collider, Arad explained that if Carnage appears in the Venom sequel, as the first post-credits scene of the movie suggests he will, then it will be a watered-down version of the character suitable to be shown in a PG-13 context:
“When you hear Carnage, the only thing you can think of is R. But, if you know his story, if you really know the comic, there’s no R here. He’s a tortured soul. It’s not about what he does, because we never have to show the knife going from here to there, and the blood is pouring. What you have to show is, what is the motivation? Was he born like that, or [is he] someone we should feel for, because if you succeeding in making a villain someone you can feel for, jackpot.”
A cynical, pragmatic way of looking at this is that Arad’s way of thinking has less to do with accurately adapting the character of Carnage (who, by nature, is a remorseless serial killer) and more to do with ensuring that a greater number of people see movies set in Sony’s Marvel Universe. An R-rating restricts the demographics that can check a movie out in a theater without parental supervision, which (usually) translates to fewer butts in seats. Granted, a PG-13 Venom movie managed to work out just fine with a $80M opening, so that itself should provide Sony’s executives incentive to stay the course.
Venom is now playing in theaters. Sony have yet to announce a Venom sequel.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
