Zack Snyder's movies have frequently pushed the boundaries of PG-13 and are, more often than not, R-Rated. An extended cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice released on Blu-ray received an R, but the theatrical cut boasted the same (mostly) kid-friendly rating as the majority of superhero blockbusters.
During the recent Full Circle event (via The Direct), Batman v Superman's VFX Supervisor Jon Des Jardin reflected on how they were asked to make adjustments to some scenes in order to make the MPA happy.
The reason for that, however, is nothing short of ridiculous.
"We couldn’t do the blood splat on the wall for the crate, but we kept taking all those things out, and it was still getting an R-rating. And then you got that note from them: 'Well, we just think that Batman’s too mean to Superman.' And we were like, 'Can you really comment on that?'"
Yes, the MPA decided to weigh in on how the Man of Steel was being treated by the Dark Knight! How that relates to the rating is hard to say, and Snyder would go on to share his take on why they likely found fault with the two heroes going toe-to-toe.
"I didn’t think that was in [their] domain to just not like the idea of them fighting and so now it's R," he recalls. "They were just like, 'We think it’s rude that they’re fighting.’'And I was like, 'I’m sorry, it’s in the title." [They said] 'Is there any way you can cut them fighting? How about they just team up and like each other?’ How about that? Maybe, they argue in the first act, but then they shake hands, and then like they fight the bad guy together.'"
"I go, 'Well, they kind of fight the bad guy together at the end. Didn’t you see that?' And they're like, 'Ah, well, there’s a lot of fighting before that.'"
It's baffling to hear that a ratings board decided to take this much involvement in how a movie's story plays out, though it's possible Snyder - who does tend to go off on the odd tangent - is referring to notes from the studio here as well.
Do you think Batman was too mean to Superman in Dawn of Justice?