It was almost too good to be true, wasn’t it? Against all odds, Deadpool became one of 2016’s biggest success stories, raking in a staggering $783 million at the worldwide box office and surprising just about everyone in one fell swoop. Such a landmark achievement, one made all the more impressive by the film’s raunchy R-rated nature, has resulted in not only a sequel order from Fox, but a string of prestigious nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards, last weekend’s Golden Globes, and nods from both the WGAs and PGAs. That’s quite the collection, but the Merc With a Mouth is thinking bigger – much bigger.
Though Tim Miller’s anti-hero flick has already been shortlisted in this year’s Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar category, Ryan Reynolds has today kicked off Deadpool‘s Oscar campaign in earnest with a frankly hilarious stinger. His target? The Academy, and given the official nominees for the 89th Academy Awards are set to be announced on January 24, this tongue-in-cheek snippet arrives in good time.
The big question now, of course, is whether Deadpool can actually do good on its awards momentum and land a few nominations. A nod from the Producer’s Guild of America certainly bodes well for Tim Miller’s origin story, but only time will tell whether the Merc With a Mouth can really woo The Academy and its roster of voters before January 24.
Deadpool slammed into theaters back in February of last year and barring any last-minute setbacks, Ryan Reynolds should be back in costume as the foul-mouthed mercenary before the year’s end. John Wick co-director David Leitch is behind the lens for Deadpool 2.