Why An R-Rated James Bond Could Work In 2022

The JamesBond franchise has never earned any of its movies an R-rating as of 2022, but the spy series could pull off this transition thanks to recent developments in both blockbuster cinema at large and the action genre in particular. Despite the James Bond franchise sticking to a fairly rigid formula throughout its multi-decade history in terms of plot, the series has been forced to change its tone and style depending on blockbuster trends over the years. For example, Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as James Bond saw the series take on a lighter, more self-referential tone in large part because action cinema as a genre was more tongue-in-cheek and less dark and brooding during the mid-90s than the late 80s.

The success of tongue-in-cheek actioners like True Lies, as opposed to more mature, gritty hits like Die Hard, Rambo III, and Lethal Weapon resulted in Goldeneye changing 007 into a more self-aware sort of lead than Timothy Dalton’s brooding antihero. Similarly, Live and Let Die’s misguided attempts to cash in on the Blaxploitation craze stemmed from the success of then-recent hits like Superbly and Shaft. Perhaps most famously, the Bourne franchise’s gritty and grounded reinvention of the spy movie sub-genre was responsible for the brutal, dour tone of Daniel Craig’s Bond debut Casino Royale, demonstrating how Britain’s signature spy saga is in a constant state of flux.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise if the next Bond outing is rated R. Although the franchise has steered clear of the adults-only rating until now, with the possible exception of 1989’s License to Kill – the only Bond movie to earn a 15-certificate upon release in the UK – a James Bond movie that boasts an R-rating could work win 2022. The James Bond franchise’s producers may have vetoed a TV series but, unlike a small-screen reinvention of 007, an R-rated addition to the series has a precedent in action cinema, would fit the career paths of the actors most likely to take over the role, and would allow the suave super-spy to keep up with blockbuster trends.

Kingsman, Deadpool, and the Rise of R-Rated Action

R-rated action has become a mainstream sub-genre that boasts big blockbuster hits where it was once limited to mid-budget releases like Crank, Shoot ‘Em Up, and Smokin’ Aces. The Kingsman franchise has proven that a campy spy thriller could work with an R rating, while Deadpool and its sequel proved a massive tentpole release could succeed financially despite the rating’s limitations. No Time To Die succeeded despite boasting an almost three-hour runtime, the sort of potentially anti-commercial deterrent that the James Bond movies used to be too scared to consider. With such a risky creative choice paying off handsomely for the franchise, there’s no reason to think that adding some swearing, impactful violence, and more explicit sex wouldn’t be a good idea for James Bond’s next outing.

James Bond’s Potential Stars Are Strictly PG-13

Most of the frontrunners in line to take over the role of James Bond currently have blockbuster franchises to their names, but these competing series are mostly rated PG-13. Admittedly, 007 hopeful Tom Hardy has the firmly R-rated Mad Max movies to his name, but that post-apocalyptic franchise is hardly comparable to Bond. Furthermore, Hardy’s financially successful Venom movies are rated PG-13 much like fellow potential James Bond star Idris Elba’s Fast & Furious/Hobbs and Shaw movies are, meaning neither actor has gotten to cut loose as an R-rated action hero with a big budget. The only time Elba did get this chance (in 2021’s The Suicide Squad) was a critical success, and even his fellow James Bond hopeful Henry Cavill’s 007-style spy romp The Man From UNCLE was a flop partially because of its PG-13 rating (as proven by reviews decrying it as too tame, as well as the much better write-ups received by director Guy Ritchie’s R-rated next movie, 2020’s The Gentlemen). This suggests that, in order to do something genuinely innovative and interesting, branching out into R-rated action in the form of a familiar and ensuring franchise could be a wise career move for whoever takes on the role.

James Bond’s R-rated Stories

From having his wife assassinated in front of him in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to tangling with heroin distributors in the aforementioned Live and Let Die, Bond’s adventures have always included adults-only themes. The likes of Casino Royale leaned into this and showed some of the grittier sides of his brutal work, but an R-rated addition to the franchise could double down on this approach. With Craig’s James Bond movies offering a progressively more mature image of their lead character with each outing, the next logical step is for the series to cast off the last of its creative limitations by embracing an R-rating. The talent behind No Time To Die, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Cary Fukunaga, have often been at their best when given the freedom of an adults-only rating as proven by Fleabag and True Detective’s respective successes. Allowing future talent a less restrictive brief when it comes to showing the darker, more violent side of Bond could ultimately pay dividends.

An R-Rating Doesn’t (Necessarily) Mean A Darker Bond 26

Fukunaga’s decision to leave the Stephen King adaptation It was partially driven by the studio’s unease around the content of his script and the director’s discomfort with being censored, and there’s no knowing what the director might have done with No Time To Die if offered the freedom of Bond’s first R-rating. However, as Kingsman and Deadpool both prove, an R-rating doesn’t necessarily mean a more self-serious tone. While both of those franchises are more viscerally violent than any recent James Bond movie, they are also sillier, campier, and much lighter in tone than recent 007 adventures. As such, an R-rating need not be a deterrent for Bond fans who feel the series has lost touch with its lighter side in recent years.

While many such fans feel that the 007 movies need to gain back their sense of levity and silliness in future outings, this can be achieved even with the addition of an R-rating. Even if Bond 26 hires Justin Lin to lighten the franchise’s tone and bring back some of James Bond’s sillier, campier elements, the series could still benefit from an R-rating. A version of James Bond played by Tom Hardy or Idris Elba who has a self-aware sense of humor and access to more gore, foul language, and adult content than ever before could offer a new face for the franchise and reinvent 007 once again. If the decision was handled correctly, the lack of restrictions represented by the R-rating would be more than a mere marketing gimmick for the spy franchise, and could instead become a chance for James Bond to change and grow between Craig’s tenure and his replacement’s arrival in the role.

About The Author

Cathal Gunning
(1459 Articles Published)

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies and TV online since 2020. His obsessions include The Simpsons, Stephen King, the Scream series, and the horror genre in general. He has spent more time thinking about Stranger Things than the writers of Stranger Things, and he has never seen a Star War.

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