Hugh Jackman took a pay cut so ‘Logan’ could be R-rated.
The Australian actor and director James Mangold felt it was important to make the final Wolverine film smaller and more personal than the previous outings of the Marvel Mutant but bosses at 20th Century Fox took a lot of persuasion to be convinced that going for a more intense and adult feel was the right approach.
James said: "Did anyone need convincing? The studio did. I think they warmed to the idea but were not over the moon.
"Then we offered to make the movie for less – Hugh took a pay cut."
But it was the success of Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Deadpool’ which convinced studio bosses that they were right to make ‘Logan’ more gritty.
James added: "In the middle of all that, ‘Deadpool’ opened. And on top of that, in the last couple of years, there were big-budget, PG and PG-13 superhero films that were relative box office disappointments.
"So there was a combination of factors to justify the R-rating, the feeling that maybe peple were getting exhausted with the way they’d been getting made, the feeling there was in ‘Deadpool’ an avenue of success, and the fact we were willing to make this movie for less than those movies usually cost."
And James thinks the R-rating made the project more focused instead of trying too hard to please everyone and failing to leave anyone satisfied.
He explained to Total Film magazine: "When you’re making a tentpole film, there is an expectation, like a buffet, that there will be something for everybody.
"The problem is, that does not make a good meal. Usually, the best meal is when someone takes a position, decides on a menu and serves something that will leave some people unhappy but will hopefully make many people happy.
"I feel like if you make something cute for kids, something violent for adults or young men and something heart-warming for others, it makes the movie feel schizophrenic."
Hugh Jackman’s pay sacrifice
