Here’s a look at how Ryan Reynolds almost didn’t become Deadpool and how the character has been so strongly associated with his real-life personality.
There aren’t many performers that have done a better job of bringing a comic book hero to life than Ryan Reynolds did with ‘Deadpool’. Reynolds’ charisma and humorous abilities were a natural fit for ‘Deadpool’, and his performance propelled the wildly successful franchise to new heights. Because he’s nailed Wade Wilson on the big screen, it’s difficult to envision anyone else ever playing the part. Incredibly, Ryan Reynolds took up the role of Deadpool in the comics considerably sooner than he did in the film.
Highlights —
- Ryan Reynolds expresses regrets
- Another version of Deadpool
- Ryan Reynolds almost destroyed Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds expresses regrets
Ryan Reynolds has tried a variety of roles before becoming the too smart and playful Marvel anti-hero Deadpool, ranging from flabby romantic comedies to action films. Nonetheless, none of them reflected his off-screen personality as much as Deadpool, despite experiencing explosions of commercial success accompanied by many disappointments.
Before the R-rated Marvel film, Ryan Reynolds had a handful of memorable films – probably enough to count on five fingers. He was in ‘Blade Trinity’ as a supporting actor, and the film was universally panned for its mundane themes and stereotypical action sequences. His comedic timing can be seen in the romantic comedy ‘The Proposal’, in which he co-stars with Sandra Bullock as an employee trapped in a phoney marriage to her boss, with whom he later falls in love. Nonetheless, Reynolds had set his sights on the character of Deadpool, whose first appearance was in ‘X Men Origins: Wolverine’. Reynolds still expresses regret for filming scenes for the film because the character was so out of place and strangely wrong.
Another version of ‘Deadpool’
Wade Wilson has been genetically modified with a pool of hazardous powers, and we meet him in the ‘X-Men’ movie. Deadpool’s mouth has been stitched up, making him a far cry from the character we know today. Fans were perplexed, as Reynolds and fans have been battling for quite some time about this persona. Later, Reynolds informed Jess Cagle in an interview of Sirius XM Radio that the creators came knocking on his door with the offer because of his love for the character, and that they had already created a version of Deadpool in their heads.
“I was already attached to the Deadpool movie”, Reynolds explained. “At this point, we hadn’t written a screenplay yet. But it happened, and (I was basically told), “Play Deadpool in this movie, or we’ll send someone else”. And I just said, ‘I’m going to do it, but it’s not the right version”.
Ryan Reynolds almost destroyed ‘Deadpool’
Reynolds became Green Lantern two years later, his first chance to become a superhero. The picture bombed spectacularly and was a flop on every level. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2016, he told them, “With Green Lantern, I think no one ever understood exactly what it was”. He continued, “He was also a victim of the process in Hollywood which looks like the poster first, the release date second, the script last. At the time, that was a huge opportunity for me, so I was excited to try to participate”.
After the Green Lantern fiasco, it appeared that Reynold’s Deadpool would never see the light of day. In 2012, Fox executives commissioned a short test coil, which dramatically improved Reynolds’ fortunes. According to the Hollywood Reporter, director Tim Miller was given a little budget to construct a short sequence explaining his vision for a feature film ‘Deadpool’. Miller previously created a few Iron Man-centric animated films for Marvel Studios prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via Geek Tyrant). Initially, however, the film did not receive approval. It was released online in 2014 and garnered a lot of positive feedback from fans, pushing the studio to reconsider its attitude.
Although we have a rough idea, it is still unclear who leaked the tape. Reynolds later told Jimmy Fallon in 2016, “There are four of us (who could have disclosed the footage): me, (writers) Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and Tim Miller, the director. We all said at the start that someone should disclose it, so the idea fell through, but I’m 70% sure it wasn’t me”.
Reynolds avenged himself in the Deadpool films by constantly insulting the ‘Wolverine’ film and even attempting to alter the tale in the second film, which was released in 2018, in which Deadpool shoots the 2009 version of himself in the credits.
Ryan Reynolds entered the public spotlight with ‘Deadpool’, and his previous transgressions were somewhat erased or forgiven, as he used it to his advantage. ‘X-Men Origins’ Green Lantern and Deadpool continue to make Reynolds giggle. He’s so intimately identified with the current Deadpool character that you can only hear Deadpool speak when he gives interviews as himself. Reynolds’ cynicism and wit have now been used by the filmmakers to generate cutting humour. Reynolds was last seen in the critically acclaimed film ‘Free Guy’ in 2021.
It took a while to get here, but Reynolds has established himself as one of Hollywood’s main actor. What’re your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments down below.
