Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer, Dave Filoni, was recently asked about the possibility of an R-rated Star Wars film on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (as reported by MovieWeb), and he indicated that such a project could indeed become a reality.
When he was asked if an R-rated Star Wars film could ever be released, Filoni said the following:
"Sure, I mean, I don't know. It's interesting."Dave Filoni
Filoni then elaborated on the importance of mature storytelling within the Star Wars franchise, saying:
"When you look at something that's taken as different, like Andor, it's so well done. I think that there's an audience for that."Dave Filoni
The episode of the podcast can be viewed on YouTube or below, with the discussion of the possibility of an R-rated Star Wars film beginning at 20:27.
Fans will undoubtedly be aware that Andor was praised for being significantly more mature than most other Star Wars productions. Although it was mostly free of traditional R-rated storytelling devices (even cutting what would have been Star Wars' first F-bomb), the series' success still proved that mature storytelling will always have a place within the Star Wars galaxy.
Although Star Wars is primarily viewed as a family-friendly franchise, it would undeniably be awesome for there to be an R-rated Star Wars film at some point. Especially since adults form a huge portion of the fanbase, so Filoni clearly was not wrong when he stated that an audience for an R-rated Star Wars film certainly does exist. And since Star Wars primarily deals with wars and conflict, it would certainly make sense for a much more violent and adult-oriented film set within the galaxy far, far away to eventually arrive on our screens.
It also is not completely outside the realm of possibility since next month’s Deadpool & Wolverine will be the first R-rated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a franchise that has actually earned more money for Disney than Star Wars. Since Disney finally allowed an MCU movie to venture into R-rated territory, it makes perfect sense for the House of Mouse to eventually release an R-rated Star Wars film.
Fans will certainly be grateful for Filoni’s optimistic words on the subject of an R-rated Star Wars film because the possibility of it actually happening now seems all the more likely. For now, adult fans will eagerly await the potential announcement of an R-rated Star Wars movie at some point in the future.