With the proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, which is expected to close by summer 2019 – pending regulatory approval – looming large over the MCU, Deadpool 2 star Ryan Reynolds and the film’s producer Simon Kinberg did their best to dissuade fan disquiet in a recent interview. Although, when you’re dealing with industry titans of this calibre, even they can’t guarantee the foul-mouthed mercenary’s future.
Assumedly, The Walt Disney Company has no problem with what made Wade Wilson’s first solo outing so successful, namely the meta one-liners, breaking the fourth wall and innumerable pop culture references. The manner and vernacular used by the Merc with a Mouth, however, is an entirely different issue.
Disney is inherently family friendly, of course, a policy that will undoubtedly clash with Deadpool’s trademark lingo. As a result, the Wade Wilson fan club is a tad apprehensive about the impending merger between Fox and the Mouse House. Some would argue that the antitrust concerns pose a much more significant threat, but that’s neither here nor there.
During a sit-down with Entertainment Weekly, Reynolds and Simon Kinberg discussed the fate of Deadpool at Disney, but couldn’t provide much clarity or reassurance. First up, here’s what the actor shared:
“I really genuinely don’t know a thing about it. I read that [CEO and chairman] Bob Iger felt that there’s plenty of room in that universe to have a rated-R character like Deadpool. This is completely conjecture on my part, but I wouldn’t imagine that Disney bought Fox to dismantle it or something like that. I think that Disney bought Fox so it could have that in its arsenal.”
Simon Kinberg echoed a similar sentiment to Reynolds, saying.
“We haven’t had any discussions yet about what the Disney acquisition of Fox would look like for the Marvel properties because I think legally they’re not allowed to talk about it until it’s done. So no we haven’t talked about it all. We’re just moving forward as we move forward.”
Continuing on, he said:
“Once Drew Goddard’s ready we’ll get into X-Force and, believe it or not, we’re still trying to get Gambit [starring Channing Tatum as the Cajun mutant] up and running. The hope is to keep moving forward until we hear otherwise. To me, I have no idea what to expect, but I think it could be really exciting. ”
While they await the amalgamation’s outcome, Wade Wilson fans will have to make due with Deadpool 2, which opens May 18th domestically. That said, Reynolds’ argument is sound: “I wouldn’t imagine that Disney bought Fox to dismantle it or something like that.” For now, the fandom will just have to repress the negative thoughts and hope for the best.