Ryan Reynolds’ performance as fast-talkin’ Wade Wilson in the lacklustre X-Men Origins: Wolverine is arguably the film’s highlight. Across his entirely-too-short screentime, Reynolds catapults between the quippy ‘merc with a mouth’ Wilson to the Project X-powered Deadpool. He’s an absolute riot to watch, and hordes of Deadpool fans went public with that same opinion. So much so that the leaked footage from a canceled Deadpool spinoff movie incited such tremendous fan support that it eventually received the greenlight from Fox.
Speaking out in an interview with Shortlist, Reynolds addressed the status of the movie and how fan approval is one of the driving factors behind production:
“I’m incredibly happy about it — we’ve got a director that understands that world and writers with a slavish devotion to the canon of that character. That’s the most important aspect: it’s made in a way the most critical of fanboys could embrace. Well, that’s the hope.”
An ambitious claim – considering the fickle nature of popular culture – it’s nevertheless encouraging to note. While most comic book adaptations walk the middle ground between die-hard fan appeal and widespread audience reach, Reynolds and director Tim Miller are clearly aiming for a loyal adaptation.
Reynolds will co-star alongside Morena Baccarin as his unnamed romantic interest, Silicon Valley’s T.J. Miller as his comedy sidekick role, Game Of Thrones‘ Ed Skrein as his adversary, and Haywire‘s Gina Carano as a member of the Morlocks.
Deadpool will arrive in theaters on February 12, 2016.