The New Marilyn Monroe Film Starring Ana De Armas Gets A Surprising Rating

While fans were surprised to hear that Ana de Armas had been cast as Marilyn Monroe, as she has always been known as a brunette bombshell, many were also shocked by the new rating for said Monroe biopic, which is set to hit screens in 2022. People are certainly talking.

The Netflix movie titled "Blonde" stars Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, and Julianne Nicholson and is based on the 2000s book by Joyce Carol Oates of the same name, per the New York Post. Little information about what the movie will contain has been released, though it seems it will follow both the glitz and glamour of Monroe's career and the trials and tribulations of her private life. Directed by Andrew Dominik, the movie is set to possibly premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, though it would premiere in the "out of competition" slots. Apparently, France has "strict theatrical release laws," according to Indie Wire.

But the drama of when the movie is set to premiere is only one part of the spectacle this movie is causing. Because now the film's rating has some people up in arms.

Blonde is rated NC-17 for mature audiences

In a recent sit-down interview with Screen Daily, director Andrew Dominik confirmed that "Blonde" will, in fact, have a rating of NC-17. In 2021, rumors swirled that the movie would have that exact rating for mature audiences, but Dominik said the controversy surrounding the movie's rating is "horses***."

"It's an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it's kind of what you want right?" he said, per Indie Wire. "I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story," he added. Much of the reason for the rating is in response to a reported scene featuring menstruation and oral sex, though Dominik said this is a "hilarious" rumor. But the director did confirm there is a rape scene, which involves a studio executive and comes from the book on which the movie is based.

"It's a demanding movie," Dominik added, "If the audience doesn't like it, that's the f***ing audience's problem. It's not running for public office." While much of the movie has been swirled in controversy, Dominik added there is one thing no one will complain about regarding the movie and that is Ana de Armas' performance as Monroe. "Blonde" is set to premiere in 2022.