Marvel boss Kevin Feige has called 'Deadpool and Wolverine' "the most wholesome R-rated film that anybody can ever see".
While the movie – which sees Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprise their respective superhero roles and join the Marvel Cinematic Universe – liberally throws around plenty of foul language and includes smatterings of gory violence, the studio higher-up has insisted the picture has a "sweet" core to it because it is "a celebration of friendship and family".
Speaking to Deadline, Feige said: "I think it gets a lot of attention that this is our first R-rated movie, but it is the third R-rated 'Deadpool' movie, so we wanted to stay true to what Ryan has built over those last couple of movies and we weren’t going to undo that.
"I will say — Hugh and Ryan have talked about this — and I think people can tell from the trailer and from the press tour so far, yes, it’s R-rated, yes there’s some language and blood, but the film is incredibly emotional.
"I keep calling it the most wholesome R-rated film that anybody can ever see. "
He continued: "It really is a celebration of friendship and family and of found family. I don’t want to overdo it, but for all the R-rated raunchiness that gets attention, when people see the movie, it’s going to be about how heartfelt it is — in my opinion, much more than the first two 'Deadpool' films.
"That’s what I’m really excited about, once people get past the 'F' words and the R-rating, to see how sweet it is."
Feige was also quizzed on the decline of cinema attendance, with 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' being the most recent example of the industry struggling after it flopped at the box office, and revealed he hoped their upcoming flick would help revive the blockbuster experience by reminding movie-goers the studio "can provide the best entertainment in the world".
He explained: "I think the experience that it’s going to give to people and hopefully encourage people to go see it again and again, that’s our job. That’s our job at Marvel, that’s our job as the 100-year old Hollywood industry — to remind people that we have the best storytellers and can provide the best entertainment in the world.
"As we keep doing that in ways that engage, excite and grab onto the imagination and the psyche of the audience, that’s all we ever wanted to do, that’s all we tried to do. I think we have to keep evolving and expanding the ways we do that."
Tagged in Hugh Jackman Ryan Reynolds Kevin Feige