The Eternals, the next instalment in the epic Marvel Cinematic Universe, has earned a PG-13 certificate in the US. The Motion Picture Association (MPA), the body responsible for rating movies in the US, made its decision based on the new movie’s “fantasy violence and brief sexuality”.
The Eternals is directed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao and is part of Marvel’s Phase 4. The action movie boasts a suitably star-studded cast, including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie, among many more. The Eternals will see the titular immortal aliens (that’s why they’re eternal) emerge from hiding after several thousand years to do battle with their evil counterparts, The Deviants and deal with something called “the emergence”.
What “the emergence” is exactly is unknown, but there are plenty of theories online ranging from it simply being the Eternal’s name for the return of the Celestials, to it having something to do with Mutantsfinally being introduced to the MCU. To be honest, it’s probably a waste of time trying to guess if Marvel Studios have proved anything in the last few years; it’s that the only thing we can expect is the unexpected.
One thing we can expect, eventually, though, is an R-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. We know that Deadpool 3 will keep its predecessors’ more adult tone, including swearing, violence, and all that adult good stuff. Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed as much himself in an interview with Collider.
“[Deadpool 3] will be rated R, and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan’s overseeing a script right now… It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor,” Feige explained. “We’ve got a number of things we’ve already announced that we now have to make, but it’s exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.”
The bad news for fans of gore and swearing is that Deadpool 3 is the only MCU movie currently in development that’s R-rated which means Mahershala Ali’s Blade movie will be PG-13 as well. Sorry splatter fiends.
The Eternals hits cinemas on November 5.