For nearly as long as there’s been talk of a Deadpool movie, Ryan Reynolds has been attached to star. The actor has a genuine love of the Marvel Comics antihero character, and he’s remained committed to the film for years despite 20th Century Fox’s continual refusal to delve into that kind of comic book movie territory. But Fox finally came around earlier this year, setting a February 2016 release date for the picture after Deadpool test footage “leaked” online to positive response. Reynolds provided the voice for the character in that footage, and now things are being made official as the actor is finalizing his deal to star in the film. More after the jump.
Per Deadline, Reynolds is closing a deal to star in Fox’s Deadpool movie, which still has visual effects artist Tim Miller attached to direct from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The script by Reese and Wernick, it should be said, has gained a reputation over the years as being a really solid take on the character, complete with direct address and Wade Wilson's smart-ass attitude. Maybe it was the success of House of Cards that finally made Fox comfortable with their lead character talking to the audience?
Whatever the case, Reynolds is psyched to finally bring the character to life in true form following the odd, half-assed approached to the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Reynolds agreed to play Wade Wilson in that picture because he feared it might be his only chance, but it’s certainly nice to see that that won’t be the case.
Now the main question lingers: will Fox allow Deadpool to be rated R? The film is currently set to open in a month not normally reserved for comic book movies, and it also will closely precede another Fox Marvel adaptation, X-Men: Apocalypse, which opens May 27, 2017. There’s been no confirmation of the rating one way or the other (just rumors), but the February release date and close proximity to Apocalypse—a much more traditional comic book movie—makes me think Fox might be going with a smaller budget and more original approach for Deadpool. At least that’s my hope.
Reynolds chimed in on Twitter earlier today with his excitement about the project finally moving forward: