‘Star Wars’ Teased To Go R-Rated Under Dave Filoni’s Leadership

Could we see Star Wars take the Deadpool route? According to Dave Filoni, it’s a possibility.

Nearly 50 years after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), the Star Wars universe looks very different today than it did in the nascent days of the George Lucas era.

George Lucas and Mark Hamill on the set of 'Star Wars' — Credit: Lucasfilm

Now under the creative control of The Walt Disney Company, we now live in the post-Skywalker Saga era, with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) all canonically out of the picture (save for any future Force ghost cameos).

It’s been years since we’ve been to a galaxy far, far away on the big screen, but Star Wars is thriving on Disney+ – at least, by some opinions. While The Mandalorian has proved almost universally beloved among the Star Wars fandom, newer efforts, such as Ahsoka and the ongoing series The Acolyte, have been slammed by more traditional fans.

Amandla Stenberg stands outdoors, wearing a chainmail-like top with metal armor plating. They are looking upwards with a serious expression. The background features greenery with blurred palm leaves. The scene appears to be set in a forest or jungle environment. — Credit: Lucasfilm

The latter, in particular, has proved particularly divisive. Many have taken issue with plot points such as Mae and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) being born of the Force (which some feel detracts from Anakin Skywalker being born in the same way), while a very specific portion of the fanbase has criticized the show for being too “female-centric,” to which its showrunner, Lesyle Headland, had the most accurate response: “Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism or hate speech … I don’t consider a fan.”

If Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer, Dave Filoni’s latest comment is anything to go by, there may be more developments for Star Wars fans to take issue with in the future.

The witches as they appeared in Star Wars The Acolyte — Credit: Lucasfilm

Filoni – who took over leadership of the creative side of Star Wars in 2023 after his work on the likes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew – recently appeared on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast alongside Ahsoka stars Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) and Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka).

Asked by host Josh Horowitz if there was a place for R-rated Star Wars, Filoni confirmed that he finds the idea “interesting.”

Diego Luna as Cassian Andor — Credit: Lucasfilm

However, he also noted that an R-rated Star Wars project would have to be “really well done” and that “also with that audience, I want to still be hitting the imagination of the kids out there so that they can grow up and appreciate those things.”

At present, Andor, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian boast the highest age ratings of all Star Wars projects at TV-14. The highest age rating in the cinematic Skywalker Saga is PG-13.

Should Star Wars go down the R-rated route, that would mark the second major franchise under The Walt Disney Company to go down the adult route. The next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), is set to be the franchise’s first R-rated entry.

Dave Filoni in a cap talking to Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka — Credit: Lucasfilm

Considering the enthusiasm of the Star Wars fandom, it’s hard to believe that there wouldn’t be some resistance to this path. However, the franchise does contain some dark themes that could easily lend themselves to a more mature project someday. With Dave Filoni at the helm, we’re confident that Lucasfilm could make it work.

Would you watch an R-rated Star Wars project?