Ryan Reynolds is Still Fighting For an R-Rated ‘Deadpool’

By  · Published on October 25th, 2013

It’s no exaggeration to think of Deadpool as a thorn in Ryan Reynolds’ side. After he portrayed the slick-talking meta-character in X-Men Origins: Amnesia Bullets, the prospect of a stand-alone movie has been a thrilling albatross. It’s the kind of development process that would consider a false start as progress.

In fact, the last time anyone talked with confidence about seeing it happen was back in 2011 when Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick’s script was finalized and earning praise. This was a last gasp of optimism that came almost a year after Green Lantern made the prospect of seeing Reynolds suit up again silly.

Good thing no one’s told Reynolds that. His optimism seems unswayed even as he admonishes the difficulties of doing the project right. According to Yahoo! UK, the actor said that the project is now in a position that might be attractive to Fox executives.

“[In] its current iteration the movie’s actually very small. There’s minimal impact to the studio, which is the way we’re kind of presenting it to them. We’re saying ‘Look, the budget is minimal. Therefore, can we do this the way it should be done?’ Which unfortunately needs a Rated R or it needs those elements.”

You have to hand it to him for sticking to his guns on an R-Rating for an R-rated character. Unfortunately, the other way for the studio to look at it is as a superhero movie too small for the effort. Spending a five-figure amount on something that the latex-crazed would typically (if incorrectly) see as a massive tentpole undertaking might be a move too brave for the studio to make. Of course, the other challenge of the script is an experimental tilt where Deadpool, famous for breaking the fourth wall in comics, breaks the fourth wall of the movie. Fox has been almost nothing but ham-fisted when it comes to superheroes (First Class excepted), so it’s unclear if they could muster the finesse for something that doesn’t follow the formula.

Plus, the character might be difficult to fold into a larger universe of superheroes (even though, yeah I know, he was already in another mutant’s movie). Hopefully the studio is looking beyond the dreams of omnibus success as well in order to recognize the appeal of a project like this.

Because it has a ton of appeal. Great character, an actor who made him shine in a supporting role and a script from a talented writing team ‐ and that’s just the beginning. Reynolds says we’ll most likely see the movie “in our lifetime.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement for its fate, but at least the hope’s still alive.

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