The rumor about Marvel Studios going for an R-rating with the upcoming Black Widow movie is entirely fabricated.
Last month, That Hashtag Show's Charles Murphy spread the rumor that Black Widow could be the first R-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe installment. Even though he didn't call it a certainty, he did suggest that the studio has had discussions about whether or not to go for the more mature rating.
With Disney CEO Bob Iger teasing an R-rated Marvel brand to allow Deadpool to fit in after the completion of their 21st Century Fox acquisition, many of us fell for the rumor. Also, many believe that in order to explore the past of Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff properly, such a rating is called for.
Kevin Feige, however, has confirmed that the first solo outing for the KGB-spy-turned-SHIELD-agent-turned-Avengers-member won't be R-rated. Furthermore, he claims that they never really considered abandoning the character's family-friendly PG-13 roots.
In a new interview with ComicBook, the Marvel Studios president is asked whether the rumors about Black Widow being R-rated can be officially ruled out. Here's how he responds:
Yes. Correct. It never was going to be. Somebody writes, ‘I hear it’s R-rated!’ And then everybody writes it up.
During the interview, Feige wouldn't reveal exactly when the Cate Shorthand flick is going to hit the theaters. But he assures that they will come up with the project as soon as it's ready. He explains:
There are no mandates to make any more than two films a year. As we’ve seen in the last couple years, when it naturally happens and when there are ideas and when there are teams ready to go, we’re not going to hold something back. We’ll make it.
At the moment, the Black Widow script is getting a rewrite from Ned Benson. Production is expected to begin this summer with a possible release sometime in 2020.
