It’s been a long, long,longroad to finally gettingDeadpoolin theaters, with plenty of pushback from 20th Century Fox along the way, but now that the film actually exists and is on the cusp of being unveiled unto the world, the studio is singing quite a different tune. We’ve known for months that directorTim Millerand writersRhett ReeseandPaul Wernickalready have ideas in place for a sequel should the follow-up happen, and now comes word viaTHRthat Fox has indeed issued a greenlight forDeadpool 2, ensuring those ideas will become a reality.
Reese and Wernick, who first burst onto the scene with the success ofZombieland, are writing the script for the follow-up, and while Miller has not signed on to return yet, THR says Fox is intent on keeping the same creative team together. Of course that meansRyan Reynoldswill also be back as the Merc with a Mouth, and one imagines Fox will give the team a much larger budget to work with this time around.
For years, Reynolds, Miller, Reese and Wernick were met with resistance from the studio when it came to makingDeadpool, and understandably so. He’s an odd character who breaks the fourth wall and has a filthy mouth, so a weird R-rated superhero movie was a big gamble that Fox just wasn’t ready to take. However, test footage they shot for the planned film “leaked” on the internet a few years ago, and intensely positive response no doubt spurred Fox to finally agree to makeDeadpoolhappen. Although I have a feeling the success of Marvel’s “weird”Guardians of the Galaxyhad something to do with that decision as well.
And now the finished film is on track to open to a hefty $65 million this weekend, with some estimates going as high as $70 million. That’s big for an R-rated superhero movie, and is a massive success for all involved, so kudos to Reynolds, Miller, Reese and Wernick for their persistence and passion for making this thing happen.
Deadpoolis pretty much the adaptation you expect from this character. The humor is incredibly juvenile and, admittedly, becomes rote after a while, but it’s mostly a fun time and Miller proves to be a promising first-time filmmaker. The limited budget is striking, as evidenced by the film’s bevy of dialogue scenes in grimy interiors, but with this kind of success on tap Fox will no doubt be expanding the scope of the sequel. It’s no secret thatDeadpoolis part of the studio’s now unified “cinematic universe” that includes theX-Menmovies,Wolverine, and the upcomingGambitspinoff, so it’ll be interesting to see how the sequel develops alongside these other moving pieces that are part of a whole. This first film had the benefit of being very much a standalone picture that eschews many of the genre’s conventions, so here’s hoping the sequel doesn’t fall into the trap of convention. What can we expect from the follow-up? Miller has been clear abouthis desire to bring the villain Cable into the mix, so it’s probably safe to assume he’s show up at some point. And then, per Reynolds’ “new mission,”anX-Forcemovie? From a film that nobody wanted to make to a lucrative, potentially foundational franchise, what a strange trip it’s been forDeadpool.
