The 2005 film Constantine was given an R rating for violence and demonic images by the Motion Picture Association of America.
This rating frustrated the movie's creative team, including director Francis Lawrence and producer Akiva Goldsman, who spoke about the topic during a Collider Comic-Con@Home virtual panel. Among the revelations from their panel was that the MPAA bestowed Constantine with its R rating five minutes into watching the film, due to its "tone".
This frustrated Lawrence, who had shot Constantine intending it to be a PG-13 movie because of its production cost. If he had known Constantine was going to be rated R, Lawrence explained, he would have made sure it lived up to that rating. “There’s a subset of religious horror and that seems to get an R more quickly,” said Goldsman.
Though the R rating was a surprise for the original Constantine film, a potential follow-up would lean into it. Lawrence, Goldsman and Constantine leading man Keanu Reeves have all expressed interest in doing another movie that would be, according to Lawrence, a "responsible, more R-rated movie."
Constantine was released to theaters on Feb. 18, 2005 and grossed $230.9 million at the worldwide box office. Initially, the film scored mixed marks from critics and audiences. Over time, however, it has developed a cult following.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Constantine stars Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Stormare and Tilda Swinton.
(via Deadline)