The Batman director confirms there is no R-rated cut of the film

Those hoping that there is an R-rated cut of The Batman that can be put together with some of the scenes that were cut from the film are about to be disappointed. Fans thought there could be an R-rated cut out there given the dark nature of the film but director Matt Reeves has confirmed that, despite a lot of footage being left on the cutting room floor, there is no R-rated cut.

During an interview with Den of Geek, Matt Reeves addressed the film’s PG-13 rating. The director revealed that the project had been developed from the start to be PG-13 and that he kept anything out of the film that may have been deemed R-rated because he wanted as big of an audience to see the film as possible:

“In my mind, the movie was always going to be a gritty, edgy, noir, thrilling spectacle that was PG-13. That was always what it was, but I always knew that we’d be pushing the limits of what that could be, and so we didn’t really have to cut anything…I’m happy we got the rating because I want people to be able to come to see the movie.”

Reeves also revealed that he never bothered filming scenes that he knew would have to be cut due to a rating issue. This means that there is no R-rated version that can be edited together for a director’s cut special edition Blu-ray. Reeves says that maintaining the PG-13 rating didn’t require any major edits and even though a lot of footage was scrapped, none of the discarded footage would have changed the rating:

“There isn’t some special cut of this movie where it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, here’s the R rating that you’ve been desperately wanting.’ I didn’t have to suddenly start drastically cutting the movie or anything like that.”

Per FilmRatings.com, The Batman has earned a PG-13 rating for “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.” Warner Bros. wanted the $100 million film to be seen by as large of an audience as possible so an R-rating was out of the question. There was some early speculation of The Batman possibly being R-rated given the success of Joker, which was R-rated and still made a killing at the box office. Joker is certainly the exception and not the rule and, even though The Batman may push the boundaries of its PG-13 rating, I couldn’t imagine the studio attempting that just yet with the Caped Crusader.

Per the film’s official synopsis, “It’s not just a call… It’s a warning. From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens. When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.”

What are YOUR thoughts on there not being an R-rated cut of The Batman?