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Netflix has hosted movies carrying an NC-17 rating before, but the company has never produced an original movie with that rating–until now. The new Ana de Armas movie, Blonde, is the first Netflix original film to receive an NC-17 rating.
Blonde is a biopic about Marilyn Monroe, based on the novel of the same name from author Joyce Carol Oates. It is more a work of fiction than a re-telling of Monroe’s real life. The Motion Picture Association said the film earned its NC-17 rating for “some sexual content,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Director Andrew Dominik told Screen Daily that he anticipated Blonde getting an NC-17 rating, which he said is a “bunch of horsesh**.” Dominik may be upset by the rating because cinemas in the US might not book the film for as many screenings due to the higher rating. Like other Netflix Original films, Blonde is set to screen in theaters in addition to the streaming platform.
Dominik said Blonde is a “demanding movie,” and he doesn’t care if that bothers people. “If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the f**king audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office. It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right? I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story.”
Blonde was filmed in 2019, and Dominik said Netflix “insisted” that it bring on editor Jennifer Lame (Tenet, Manchester by the Sea) to “curb the excesses of the movie.”
Blonde releases this year on Netflix and in theaters. It also stars Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, and Julianne Nicholson. Brad Pitt is among the team of producers on the film.
