Long before 20th Century Fox sent the Internet into a collective tail-spin by issuing the green light on a no-holds-barred, R-rated version of Deadpool – not to mention the Hall H-shaking trailer that stole the show at San Diego Comic-Con – question marks lingered over the studio’s languishing live-action feature, with many fearing that Reynolds would never truly get another chance to assume the role of the Merc with a Mouth.
That all changed when the much-touted test footage slammed online, effectively firing the motor-mouth mercenary back into the limelight. But as history has taught us, Fox didn’t signal the go-ahead there and then, and as screenwriter Rhett Reese revealed to Digital Spy, it took two reputable filmmakers to throw their support behind Reynolds’ vision before the pieces fell into place.
[zerg]Interestingly, it was David Fincher and James Cameron that helped nudge Deadpool across the proverbial starting line and into production; heck, Reese even goes so far as to say that Tim Miller’s live-action feature wouldn’t have existed without their unyielding support. “Having guys like [David] Fincher and [James] Cameron pushing certainly didn’t hurt, and we very well might not be sitting here if it hadn’t been for those two,” Resse revealed.
Perhaps it’s symptomatic of Reynolds’ vision bucking superhero tradition that attracted the likes of Fincher and Cameron, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that Fox’s adaptation will forgot its comic book roots. As the reveal trailer indicated, there is plenty of winks and jibs at Reynolds’ past appearances as a costumed hero – particularly Green Lantern – though co-writer Paul Wernick also noted that the film references X-Men Origins: Wolverine. “It’s referenced in ‘Deadpool,’ I wouldn’t want to spoil anything. It’s in there.”
In conclusion, make-up designer Bill Corso hinted that Deadpool may even pull from Fox’s well of mutant characters: “We may sneak in references to a couple of other mutants and show glimpses of other mutants.”
Ryan Reynolds will don the infamous crimson guise when Deadpool is dragged kicking and screaming into theaters on February 12, 2016. Meanwhile, you can check out what the character got up to on All Hallow’s Eve. Spoilers: it’s pretty hilarious.