Deadline reported earlier today that what FOX has recently listed as their “Untitled Deadpool Movie” to be released on December 21 would in fact be a recut version of the 2018 Deadpool sequel. A mere seven months after Deadpool 2 hit the theaters, FOX has scheduled a Deadpool 2 PG-13 re-release without any warning. Are fans ready for a Deadpool film without some of the gore and several f-bombs?

Is it possible that 20th Century Fox is scheduling a surprise PG-13 version of Deadpool to appeal to the family crowd around the holidays and to fill the gaps from its other films that it just pushed back? Or is this a last ditch cash grab before the rights go to Disney?

I suppose that in case Disney has any hesitations about continuing this franchise with its R-rating intact, this could be a brilliant strategy. But will fans really be that interested in what changes, if any, are made to the movie as a whole? Will Reynolds record new jokes in post production that fit within a PG-13 rating since the mask covers Reynold’s mouth most of the time, or will they just bleep the f-bomb whenever it occurs?

One thing is for sure, this PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2 has taken the original schedule date for Alita: Battle Angel and is going to be hitting theaters on the exact same day as Warner Bros/DC’s Aquaman. Two comic book movies of this size releasing in the same weekend could be quite surprising. Will audiences be interested in a theatrical release of what’s already been available on home video? We’ll see what happens when we get an extra dose of Deadpool 2 arriving later this year.

Speaking of Alita: Battle Angel which was initially set to open on that December 21 slot. The Robert Rodriguez sci-fi click is now pushed back to February 14, 2019. That now pushes back the contantly delayed X-Men sequel Dark Phoenix, which is now scheduled to open onJune 7, 2018. The troubled film, which just debuted a lukewarm trailer, may do better as a summer film.