The Batman has now officially been given a PG-13 rating and Conan O'Brien has a hilarious response. Directed by Matt Reeves, who is best known for the critically lauded Planet of the Apes trilogy, The Batman is one of the most highly anticipated movies of this year. Starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, the film will follow Batman's attempts to bring the elusive Riddler (Paul Dano) to justice with the help of Commissioner James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright).
With several trailers for The Batman having now been released, showing off the film's dark and gritty atmosphere, many fans speculated that the movie would mark the first R-rated standalone outing for the caped crusader. Today, however, it was officially announced that The Batman is rated PG-13 for "strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material." The announcement has divided Batman fans, with many expressing a desire to see a more brutal and violent R-rated version of the character.
In a funny new tweet, television host Conan O'Brien has weighed in on the rating announcement for The Batman and the drama that has ensued. O'Brien's tweet jokingly suggests that he was hoping to capitalize on the film being R-rated with a new line of adult-themed t-shirts. Check out O'Brien's tweet below:
While O'Brien is clearly joking, some fans do seem to be disappointed at the film's announced rating. Ultimately, however, an R-rating was always a relatively unlikely outcome for The Batman given that Warner Bros. wants the movie to be seen by as many people as possible. When a film is given an R-rating, it significantly diminishes that film's potential audience and, therefore, its box office haul. While films like Logan and Deadpool have proven that R-rated superhero movies can be successful, it's still safer for a studio to aim for a PG-13.
Considering the wording behind The Batman's rating, however, with it confirmed to feature "strong violent and disturbing content" and "strong language," it certainly seems like the film will be pushing the limits of its PG-13 rating. Ultimately, as Christopher Nolan proved with The Dark Knight trilogy, a PG-13 rating might actually be the sweet spot for Batman movies anyway. While Zack Snyder's Justice League featured some cool R-rated Batman action, it could be argued that graphic violence and f-bombs don't necessarily make Batman any more interesting as a character. Unfortunately, however, The Batman's PG-13 rating does mean O'Brien's adult-themed t-shirt plans may have to be put on hold. The Batman is scheduled to release on March 4th, 2021.
Source: Conan O'Brien/Twitter
