Earlier this week, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) officially gave the upcoming superhero adventure Deadpool an R rating, which caused many fans to rejoice. However, there is one fan who is not so pleased, an eight-year-old boy named Matthew, who wrote a letter to his mother, listing the reasons why she should take him to see this movie when it hits theaters February 12. The letter was shared with Beyond the Trailer, who took matters into their own hands by creating a Change.org petition asking 20th Century Fox to release both an R-rated version of Deadpool and a PG-13 version, simultaneously.
The letter from young Matthew that sparked this petition revealed that he will do his homework all the time while promising to clean his room. He even promised to cover his eyes during any R-rated parts, of which we are sure there are many. Among the reasons listed for the R rating are "graphic nudity," along with sexual content and strong language and violence. It seems that Matthew has quite a few fans who feel the same way.
The online petition has already received over 1,300 signatures so far, and Beyond the Trailer host Grace Randolph argues that the studio should release both R-rated and PG-13-rated cuts because they released two different versions of the trailer, one suitable for all ages and the red band trailer for adult viewers. The host isn't arguing against the movie's content, per se, because she clearly thinks both trailers look great. However, she wants young fans like Matthew to get a chance to see this movie, arguing that Matthew would have to cover his eyes and ears all the time throughout the movie, thus missing out on the movie itself.
Back in November, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds released a humorous video that showed him trick-or-treating with a group of young children, so it's clear this character has plenty of kid appeal. With just one month left until the movie's release though, there simply may not be enough time to put together a PG-13 rated cut of Deadpool. It isn't known if 20th Century Fox or Ryan Reynolds plan on responding to this petition or not.
In related news, 20th Century Fox (via Comic Book Resources) has released a slew of new posters and banners for this comic book adaptation. Take a look at these posters, which you can find below Grace Randolph's video. Do you think there should be two different cuts of Deadpool for all fans to enjoy?
