A scene from Deadpool Photo:IC

 
Deadpool, the upcoming Fox superhero film, will very likely not release on the Chinese mainland, according to a report on domestic film website mtime.com.

"Everybody can now relax and wait for downloads or DVDs. It has not passed review. Deadpool is dead!" posted Li Xin on Sina Weibo on Saturday. Li's verified Sina Weibo account identifies him as the "chief planning inspector" for the "China Film Co., Ltd branch office for marketing and planning." His post was also quoted by Chinese film site mtime.com.

Earlier last week, the film was rated R in the US for "strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity." 

In China, where no age rating systems exist, the most common way to deal with violence or sexual content is to cut them from the Chinese version. 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service, for example, deleted a violent church massacre scene for mainland theaters. However, the overall violent content in the upcoming Deadpool movie most likely makes it difficult to do the same.  

The news came as no surprise to fans in Chinese mainland. Many commented that they would wait to pirate the film, while some said they plan to head to Hong Kong or Taiwan to see the uncut version of the film. 

"It does bother me. It's OK if I can watch a complete version online. Better than a cut version in home theaters," Mu Hongbo, a netizen in Tianjin, posted  on Sina Weibo.

"I am Deadpool. I have a healing factor and am able to massacre the entire Marvel universe on my own, but I've finally been beaten by a Chinese superhero: SAPPRFT," netizen Frost1118 posted on mtime.com referring to China's media watchdog the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

While expected, the move now has many worried whether the upcoming Suicide Squad will pass review.  

Global Times