Sony’s upcoming Venom: Let There Be Carnage has officially been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association. Still slated for release this October, the upcoming sequel will see Tom Hardy reprise his role as the investigative journalist Eddie Brock, who is host to the alien symbiote known as Venom. Hollywood veteran Woody Harrelson is also set to join Hardy as the serial killer Cletus Kasady, who becomes infected with his own symbiote, Carnage.
Set within Sony’s recently retitled SSU (Sony’s Spider-Man Universe), the first 2018 Venom film marked the start of Sony’s attempts at crafting its own interconnected cinematic universe using a collection of around 900 Marvel characters to which it currently holds the rights. While Let There Be Carnage will be the second film in its burgeoning franchise, Sony also has Morbius and Kraven the Hunter set to be released in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Furthermore, Sony also has plans to expand its new universe into television, with the Spider-Man character of Silk reported to be the first to receive her own series.
As reported by Comicbook.com, now Sony has surprised fans who were potentially hoping for a higher-rated sequel, with the MPAA officially providing Let There Be Carnage with a PG-13 rating. According to the MPAA’s weekly ratings bulletin, the new film earned its rating “for intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material and suggestive references”. Similarly, the first Venom also earned itself a PG-13 rating “for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language”.
While fans may have been hoping for a more adult-oriented film, Sony seems to be intent on maximizing its box-office potential by keeping the film open for a broader audience. Much like Marvel Studios, whose extensive MCU slate is also largely rated PG, Sony seems to have its mind set on producing films for kids and adults alike. Though some fans may think that the Venom franchise would benefit from a more graphic approach, Sony seems content to follow Kevin Feige’s example, who earlier this year stated that the MCU has never “been held back by” taking a PG-13 approach to most of its films.
Of course, both Warner Bros. and Fox Studios were more open to inserting adult themes into their comic book adaptations like Joker and Deadpool, and both of those gambles paid off well for their respective studios. Given how violent and dangerous Venom’s character is portrayed in the comics, it would not be too far a stretch to envision an R-rated adaptation. He is, after all, an alien symbiote that forces his host to eat other people. That said, the first film was also rated PG-13 and exceeded its box-office expectations to bring in over $856 million worldwide, so it's reasonable to assume that Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s similar rating won’t hamper its chances of success either.
Source: MPAA (via Comicbook.com)
