Quick summary
- Ryan Reynolds told Variety in 2024 that sewing Deadpool’s mouth shut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was “one of the all-time foolish studio notes”, according to Far Out Magazine.
- He says he is grateful for it, because it showed him what not to do with the character.
- The faithful Deadpool film that followed became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and its sequels repeated the feat.
- Separately, a prank clip from the Deadpool 2 set is circulating again with false claims attached, Yahoo reports.
Ryan Reynolds has long described the botched first screen version of Deadpool as a blessing in disguise. A fresh look at that history from Far Out Magazine, published on 8 November, shows how a note he still calls foolish pushed him to fight for the version fans wanted.
How Deadpool found Reynolds
Far Out traces the story back to Blade: Trinity, the vampire-hunting sequel starring Wesley Snipes. Reynolds reportedly clashed with Snipes on that film, but he left it knowing about a foul-mouthed Marvel character called Deadpool. He tried to set up a Deadpool movie at New Line Cinema, only to find the rights sat with Fox through its X-Men properties.
That ruled out a solo film for the time being. The report says Reynolds had pushed to play the character for about five years by the time Fox finally offered him the role.
The note he called foolish
The part arrived in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where Deadpool was little more than a glorified cameo according to Far Out. Reynolds did not wear the red and black costume. The finale then sewed the character’s mouth shut and turned him into a mute assassin firing lasers from his eyes.
“Deadpool sewing up his mouth was one of the all-time foolish studio notes,” Reynolds told Variety in 2024, as quoted by Far Out. “But at the same time, I’m so grateful for it.” The experience, the outlet argues, made him determined to bring a faithful Deadpool to the screen.
From leaked test footage to a record
Fox appeared to recognise the misstep. A spin-off was put into development, and over the next five years writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote a script while Tim Miller) was hired to direct. Miller made CGI test footage in 2012 with Reynolds voicing the character.
By 2014 the studio still had not given the official go-ahead. When the footage leaked online, fans reacted loudly and the film was confirmed. Far Out closes by saying it was a good thing Reynolds leaked that footage himself, a claim the piece states without further detail.
In 2016 Deadpool became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, according to Far Out. Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine each matched that achievement in turn, adding billions to the coffers of Fox and later Disney.
The Deadpool 2 prank clip, fact-checked
Another Deadpool story is also doing the rounds. Yahoo reports that a clip from the 2018 shoot of Deadpool 2 has resurfaced online, showing Reynolds ripping off prosthetics and telling his makeup team they would have to start again.
A viral post claimed the team had spent eight hours applying the pieces after filming was cancelled. Yahoo says that is wrong. The official Deadpool Movie account first posted the video in October 2019, and a Community Note says the full prosthetics took about two hours. The timestamp on the clip shows a 6:02 am start.
Award-winning makeup designer Bill Corso, who appears in the video, has said chair time fell from about four hours on the first film to about two on the sequels, per Yahoo. Some viewers still found the joke unkind, and the original 2019 comments included similar complaints.
Yahoo also mentions unconfirmed rumours that Reynolds is working on a Marvel script about Alpha Flight. Nothing in the reporting confirms it, and it is unclear whether it would connect to the next Deadpool film.
What happens next
The two stories show how closely Reynolds is tied to the character. For now, neither report announces new Deadpool plans. Readers can follow every update on Ryan Reynolds at Modus Carry, or browse our Movies coverage.
Frequently asked questions
What did Ryan Reynolds call a foolish studio note?
He used the phrase for the decision to sew Deadpool’s mouth shut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, telling Variety in 2024 that he was still grateful for it.
Was the Deadpool 2 makeup prank really eight hours of work?
No. Yahoo reports that the prosthetics took about two hours, and the clip was first posted by the official Deadpool Movie account in 2019.
Which Deadpool film broke the R-rated record?
Far Out reports that the 2016 Deadpool became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, and that its two sequels did the same.
