In a galaxy not so far away — more precisely, on The Box Office Podcast — Ryan Reynolds revealed he’s pitched an R-rated Star Wars film to Lucasfilm. Yes, you read that right. The man behind Deadpool is now eyeing a bold, emotionally charged take on George Lucas’ storied universe, one that might just make Jedi robes feel a little less PG.
Reynolds was quick to clarify: his concept isn't about gratuitous violence or swearing in space. "I don't mean R-rated to be vulgar," he said, "R-rated as a Trojan Horse for emotion." It's a character-driven vision that suggests a more mature, perhaps more psychologically layered entry into the Star Wars canon—something that could explore the darker corners of the Force without relying on shock value.
While the project is far from greenlit, Reynolds’ growing presence as a writer lends weight to the pitch. Beyond cracking wise on screen, he’s ghostwritten dialogue for Blake Lively in It Ends with Us, penned a Deadpool & Wolverine crossover for Marvel, and is currently scripting a boy band movie for Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman. If nothing else, he’s proving he knows how to work a genre from the inside out.
If Lucasfilm were to embrace the idea, it would mark a first: no Star Wars film to date has earned an R rating. Though Osgood Perkins recently teased a similarly dark Vader-centred pitch, Reynolds may be the first A-lister to bring a completed script to the table. Whether or not it ever leaves the docking bay, it’s clear that the Force could be headed into uncharted — and unexpectedly adult — territory.
