Contrary to long-running speculation, director Ruben Fleischer’s Venom has received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, instead of the widely anticipated R. While many fans are undoubtedly disappointed that Tom Hardy’s debut as Eddie Brock won’t be as gruesome or violent as they’d hoped, the reason behind Sony’s decision is apparently obvious: Spider-Man.
Citing unnamed sources, Fandango’s Erik Davis contends the studio sought to avoid the R rating in order to leave the door open to an eventual face-off between Venom and Spider-Man. “If the movie is R,” he tweeted, “it’s hard to do that.”
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“Put it this way,” Davis added. “Venom could be in an R-rated movie and a PG-13 movie. I could see that working, no prob. But Spider-Man can not be in an R-rated movie. Kinda like Deadpool – his brand is now R-rated. He won’t work as well in a PG-13 movie. Won’t feel authentic.”
#Venom is officially rated PG-13. Hearing from studio sources the reason is so that Venom and Spider-Man can face off at some point down the line. If the movie is R, it’s hard to do that. pic.twitter.com/dBZzgY18k3
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) September 13, 2018
That reasoning for a PG-13 rating shouldn’t come as a surprise, as a report surfaced in early August that Sony feared a Venom that’s “too dark and gory” might then rule out any kind of crossover with Spider-Man or other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Venom will serve as the cornerstone for Sony’s so-called Spider-Verse, a long-planned shared cinematic universe that may eventually include such ancillary Spider-Man characters as Morbius the Living Vampire, Black Cat, Silver Sable and Kraven the Hunter, so there’s also undoubtedly also some concern about ensuring the films can reach a wider audience.
Swinging into theaters on Oct. 5, Venom is directed by Ruben Fleischer and stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom, Michelle Williams as Anne Weying, and Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake/Riot.