During the press con of Deadpool & Wolverine here in Korea today, a member of the press asked the stars of the film, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, as well as director Shawn Levy whether Deadpool & Wolverine will save Marvel. This is what they had to say:
“No pressure. Normal day at the office,” Ryan started jokingly before admitting that none of that stuff is actually self-imposed. “From the earliest days, Shawn and I were writing this script in my apartment in New York City, and I remember we wrote this Marvel Jesus bit in the movie, which is really just a way to illustrate Deadpool’s own self-delusion.”
“At the time, it wasn’t a commentary on the industry. Marvel hit a bit of a rougher patch maybe than normal. They required a bit of a reset. suddenly, that storyline became ultra-relevant more externally than for us.”
“My wife said to me, ‘Did you somehow orchestrate it this way?’ I am not that smart. That this not what we are here to do. the three of us, when we set out to make this film, we had a very specific North Star, and that was to bring unbridled joy and audacity to audiences all over the world.”
“The best and most powerful magic in storytelling in the last five to 10 years is joy, and that’s what we did here. The only objective for Deadpool & Wolverine was to create as much joy as humanly possible.”
Photo from Marvel
This joy definitely resonates on camera, and it turns out there’s a big reason as to why their chemistry in Deadpool & Wolverine is so electric.
“It has been a dream of ours to work together,” Ryan shares. “We genuinely love each other and we cheer for each other. I think that’s why it translates to the screen, that enthusiasm and joy, because you have these folks who don’t compete with each other. We want to put each other ahead and put each other in the best positive light.”
“It’s a movie about friendship,” Shawn adds, and their friendship shines through. In fact, Ryan shares that there will be a lot of moments in Deadpool & Wolverine where you won’t be able to tell if Deadpool is talking to Wolverine or Ryan is talking to Hugh.
Photo from Marvel
Hugh admits though the they are very aware of the anticipation and expectation of fans. However, he also promises that no one expects more of them than themselves. After all, this is a character that Hugh has played for 25 years now (yes, this is his 10th film playing Wolverine).
“I know that these two as writers and as producers had so much of their heart and soul pouring into making sure that this is the best of Wolverine yet. I had never felt someone care so much about my character as me before than I did with these two,” he shares. “They have given me, and I hope you agree with me, a version of Wolverine that is so exciting and different and satisfying.”
Photo from Marvel
Shawn also shares that, as a director, he was never under any pressure to dilute Deadpool, a fear that many fans, including myself, had. “I came to this movie as a fan of Deadpool, a fan of Logan.”
“Marvel and Disney understood from the beginning that this is going to be something different. This is going to be the first R-rated audacious Deadpool movie, and they supported that every step of the way. It’s so much fun working in the MCU filled with so many heroes and so much history but the blood that flows in this movie is very much that Deadpool DNA.”
“The movie was never written with ‘Oh, we have to make it as rated R as possible.’ It’s always been about the story,” Ryan points out. “The ability to tell the story authentically is the reason for that kind of freedom.”
“There’s nothing in Deadpool & Wolverine that is there explicitly to shock,” he reiterates, sharing that even his 9-year-old daughter and 79-year-old mother have seen rough cuts of Deadpool & Wolverine. “We didn’t skimp on anything but also, there’s nothing in there that’s meant to shock. Everything is story-driven.” And we promise you: you won’t be disappointed.
Deadpool & Wolverine starts showing on July 24, 2024. Mark your calendars!
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