Actor Ryan Reynolds is known around the world for his portrayal of Wade Wilson a.k.a Deadpool in the then-X-Men film Deadpool and Deadpool 2. His real-life wit and signature charm were a perfect fit for the Marvel anti-hero, something which the comics themselves have addressed.
Reynolds is a huge fan of the comic and it shows as he was personally involved in getting the film made. He also showed how true of a fan he was when he spent his own money to ensure that a character trait of Deadpool was depicted in the film.
Ryan Reynolds’ Commitment To Deadpool
Actor Ryan Reynolds has been interested in making a Deadpool film since 2004 when he started developing the project with his Blade Trinity director David S. Goyer. The actor became a huge fan ever since it was mentioned in the comics that Deadpool looked like ‘Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei’. However, due to copyright issues, his solo film with Goyer did not materialize.
Reynolds played Wade Wilson in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a solo Wolverine film that traced the origins of the character played by Hugh Jackman. Wilson’s depiction in the film was heavily criticized as he was renamed Weapon X and had his mouth sewn shut. For a character who was known as ‘the merc with a mouth’, this did not sit well. Reynolds has also expressed his disappointment with this depiction, even referring to it as Deadpool.
20th Century Fox was not that keen on commissioning a Deadpool film, especially after Ryan Reynolds’ underwhelming performance in the DC film Green Lantern. However, many prominent directors such as James Cameron and David Fincher supported Reynolds’ vision for the film. After test footage of the film, which was directed by Tim Miller and was voiced by Reynolds was leaked and was well received, the studio greenlit the project. Ryan Reynolds maintains that they did not leak it on purpose.
Ryan Reynolds’ Tribute To The Golden Girls
With the huge fanbase Deadpool enjoys today and the global recognition Ryan Reynolds has, it is surprising to know that the production of the film was not that easy. For starters, Fox Studios gave director Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds only $58 million for the film. This was quite low for a superhero film in 2016. For comparison, the first X-Men film received $75 million in 2000. Since it was an R-rated film, the studio was not very confident about recovering costs.
However, they seemed to be wrong as Deadpool became one of the most profitable ventures for the X-Men series, earning a global total of $782 million. A sequel was commissioned and was also a blockbuster, earning over $785 million. Despite all this money, Ryan Reynolds had to pay $10,000 out of his own pocket to include one pop culture reference in Deadpool.
In the comics, Wade Wilson is a huge fan of Bea Arthur and her work in the sitcom The Golden Girls. To give a shoutout to this character trait, Ryan Reynolds approached the estate of actress Bea Arthur who had sadly passed away in 2009. Reynolds was asked to pay $10,000 for the rights to refer to her in Deadpool, which he did by wearing a Bea Arthur shirt in one of the opening sequences of the film.
While the shirt is only seen for a few moments, it adds an extra layer of character to Deadpool and gives the fans a treat, saying that the actor who plays it really knows the character he plays. And according to Reynolds, the money he paid went to Bea Arthur’s favorite charity.
Ryan Reynolds will be reprising his role as Deadpool in Deadpool 3. He will be starring alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who returns to the iconic role after James Mangold’s Logan.
Source: Far Out
