Ryan Reynolds is “Forever Grateful” to Fans for the “Glorious History” of Deadpool
The Deadpool franchise was the freshest, funniest, downright best thing the X-Men universe of movies had going for it in the late-teens, so when the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney was first announced, many fans panicked about what would happen to their favorite superhero. After all, Ryan Reynolds so owns the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool that it’s virtually inconceivable to picture another actor playing the part, especially in a “sanitized” version, considering Disney’s family-forward image and the fact that the MCU has never released a Rated-R superhero movie.
Thankfully, Marvel President Kevin Feige found Reynolds’ portrayal of Deadpool as irresistibly iconic as fans and made his inclusion in the MCU one of the first big reveals of the post-acquisition state of Marvel Studios content, even promising that the films will keep their edge, assuring: “It will be rated R.” Only a week ago, in fact, Deadpool officially became a part of the MCU, not in a cameo appearance in a film, or as a mention on one of the Disney+ shows, but in a short video titled “Deadpool: Maximum Reactions,” featuring one of the new favorites of the MCU, Korg (Taika Waititi). The meta Marvel meeting features Reynolds as Deadpool and Waititi as Korg discussing the new movie both actors are in, Free Guy, which also happens to include a Deadpool movie reference!
Incredibly, Reynolds recently revealed that fans were to thank for Deadpool, not him. Apparently, all of his own efforts to convince Fox to let him reinvent the role — he had previously played the absolutely horrible adaptation of the character seen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) — fell on deaf ears.
Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it. Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful.
Hi @levarburton
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 20, 2021
Sister-writers Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux are currently at work on the script for Deadpool 3, with Reynolds serving as creative consultant. Shawn Levy, who directed Reynolds in Free Guy, is being considered to direct. The movie is expected to begin filming in 2022.
Image courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios
