The Hollywood Writers Strike of 2023 has been gaining momentum over the past few weeks in an effort to put writers to the fore by demanding more recognition and better pay for their contributions to films. This isn’t the first time that the wordsmiths of the industry have gone on the warpath to stand up for their rights. Back in 2007-2008, a similar Writers Strike took place with the goal to give writers the pedestal they deserved.
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds faced the effects of the strike in 2008. The actor who played Deadpool in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, recalled the tumultuous time which resulted in the film suffering from a lack of script owing to the film writers going on strike.
Ryan Reynolds Had to Improvise For Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is one of Marvel’s most interesting characters mainly due to his foul-mouthed persona and complicated past. The actor who first took on the role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine starring Huge Jackman, spoke of his experience playing the character during the challenging times of the Writers Strike in 2008. Reynolds who was forced to improvise his lines due to a half-baked script owing to the lack of writers, said,
“So we were in the middle of production, there were no writers, no anything. Every line I have in the movie I just wrote myself because in the script we had, it said, ‘Wade Wilson shows up, talks really fast.’ I was like, ‘What?! What am I supposed to do with that?’”
To complicate matters further, The Proposal actor was not convinced about the character arc of Deadpool and how he was written into the script. Reynolds got to redeem himself later in a standalone film involving the character.
History Repeats Itself For Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 3
It seems that Ryan Reynolds and his character Deadpool have an uncanny relationship with the Writers Guild of America. The actor is once again caught in the middle of the Writers Strike while working on his next film based on the Marvel superhero, Deadpool 3. After his first experience proved to be a challenging proposition owing to the writers going on strike in 2008, the star is now forced once again to rework the character following the 2023 Writers Strike.
This time though, Reynolds who is also credited as a writer and producer in the film, is in a precarious position. He will not possess the freedom to use his famous improvisation skills to modify the existing script owing to a new WGA guideline that states that producers cannot indulge in “writer-like practices” while the strike is going on, to show solidarity with the community. Despite Reynolds being known to traverse from the beaten path many times, he will have to adhere to the rules this time to avoid being expelled from the Guild.
Deadpool 3 is due to release worldwide in November 2024.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
