Some DEADPOOL test footage from SFX-wiz/director Tim Miller recently “leaked” online by a mysterious assailant. The clip, rendered with CGI characters, shows a motion-captured Ryan Reynolds as the titular character. Looking straight from the comic books, Reynolds sounds exactly as he should thanks to his natural comedic demeanor.
The original 8-minute reel of footage was presented to 20th Century Fox by Miller and producer Lauren Shuler Donner in 2012 in hopes of greenlighting the picture. Unfortunately it didn’t work out at the time, but online reviews from the bit of leaked footage are extremely positive.
Since its early development in 2009 when Reynolds appeared in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, Fox has been nervous about greenlighting this solo project due to its “nearly NC-17” screenplay by “Zombieland” writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. “It’s so, so far into the R-rated zone,” said Reynolds last year. “It’s a nearly NC-17 world and I just don’t know if the studio would ever risk their reputation doing it.
But it could be made on the cheap, says the actor: “[In] its current iteration the movie’s actually very small. There’s minimal impact to the studio, which is the way we’re kind of presenting it to them. We’re saying ‘Look, the budget is minimal. Therefore, can we do this the way it should be done?’ Which unfortunately needs a Rated R or it needs those elements.”
I’m not allowed to post the footage as Fox has asked for its removal. This might actually be a good sign…
#GreenlightDEADPOOL
Now you see why I have never faltered in my support for Ryan, he is perfect. #deadpool
— robertliefeld(@robertliefeld) July 29, 2014
Deadpoollooks kickass!
— danielcudmore(@danielcudmore) July 29, 2014
Fun thing is, that DEADPOOL test was mastered in 3D. Love to see it that way
— Harry Knowles (@headgeek666) July 28, 2014
Fox needs to realize what a big character they have. He is popular right now. Strike while the iron is still hot!
I agree. They can make it on a budget. R-rated action films have been pulling in some good money recently.
I think Fox are fully aware of how popular Deadpool is among comicbook fans, which is largely why they’re hesitant to roll the dice on an R Rated movie. If it fails, then they may well have damaged the property for many years to come.
We should be aware too, that if an R rated Superhero movie fails, it’ll be the last one we see. Certainly it’ll be a long time before anybody else has a punt at one.
This isn’t just about how much it might cost, it’s about responsibly managing the Deadpool IP so that it’s returns are the best that they can possibly be.
This is uncharted territory to a degree, and movie studios are traditionally nervous of that sort of thing, so while I do expect this will happen eventually, I don’t imagine that it’s gonna’ be anytime soon.
But I hope I’m wrong. 🙂
Deadpool is so amazing!! There’s no way this movie wouldn’t make money! Not with the droves of fans he has!!