It was a little over a year ago thatDeadpoolwas released and effectively changed the comic book movie game entirely. With all of the talk of superhero fatigue and things of that nature, the fact that a very non-traditional, ultraviolent, R-rated, vulgar movie that was more a love story than anything else wound up being one of the biggest hits of 2016 said a lot. Luckily the movie was great and it worked out very well for Fox, because that means we are getting a sequel next year in the form ofDeadpool 2.
Ryan Reynolds had been trying to getDeadpoolmade for the better part of a decade, but Fox was hesitant to pull the trigger. At the time, perhaps understandably so. The only other onscreen appearance that Wade Wilson made was inX-Men Origins: Wolverine, and that is considered by many to be the worst movie in theX-Menfranchise. That said, a lot of that had to do with the fact that the character ofDeadpoolwas treated so poorly and mishandled in that movie. Still, from the studio’s perspective, making a movie centered on a character that audiences didn’t take to in the movie he appeared in was a risk. Luckily, they eventually took that risk. Now we are gettingDeadpool 2, and assuming that does well, which it almost certainly will, many otherDeadpool moviesfeaturing the Merc With a Mouth will surely follow.
Fox has every reason to believe thatDeadpool 2will do well. The successes of the first movie have been discussed heavily, but they really are worth talking about. Not only was the movie a surprise critical success, boasting an 84 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an even more impressive 90 percent audience rating. But it is the box office take that really makesDeadpoolsuch a landmark movie. On a budget of just $58 million,Deadpoolgrossed $783 million worldwide. For a movie Fox was very unsure about making in the first place, that is truly impressive.
However, with success comes pressure. Since the audience and critics really took toDeadpool, there is tremendous pressure forDeadpool 2to at least match, if not surpass the quality of the first. That is a tall order and it seems like the creative team seems to understand that. They will be delivering the movie in a reasonably timely manner, but they definitely aren’t rushing things. As impatient as we all are feeling, that is probably for the best.
WithDeadpool 2set to invade theaters next year, we are not all that far away from some more Wade Wilson action. Even though the plot details for the movie are being kept under wraps, we actually know quite a bit about thehighly-anticipated sequel. So here’s everything we know aboutDeadpool 2.
33Ryan Reynolds will return as Wade Wilson.
As was proven in the firstDeadpool, it would be impossible to makeDeadpool 2without Ryan Reynolds. The man championed the project for more than a decade and, when he finally got the opportunity, he knocked it out of the park. And even putting it that way may be a bit of an understatement. Since the movie was a truly massive success, Fox has locked him down for several future installments and this franchise is officially on his back. So, we will see Ryan Reynolds back in the red suit as the Merc With a Mouth inDeadpool 2, but there is much more to his role than just spending a lot of time on screen. This is more his movie than anyone else’s, no matter who is directing it and no matter which bigwigs at Fox are involved in the decision making process. He has been working hard on the movie during every step of the process so far, from producing to casting and everything in between. He is not taking this lightly. There is a lot of pressure forDeadpool 2to succeed and a very hefty amount of that pressure rests squarely on the shoulders ofRyan Reynolds. Maximum effort.
32David Leitch is directing.
There are a lot of people who contributed to the success ofDeadpool, but director Tim Miller was easily one of the biggest factors that can be attributed to that success. He was one of the core members of the team trying to get the movie off the ground for a very long time before Fox finally gave the go ahead. Sadly, he departedDeadpool 2late last year over “creative differences,” so someone had to step in and take over that very important position. That man is David Leitch. While he may not be a household name, the man has the resume for the job. He co-directedJohn Wick, which is easily one of the best action movies to come along in the last decade or so. He also has done a ton of second unit directing on movies likeCaptain America: Civil War, so he knows how to handle a large scale production. It may be a bummer for some that Tim Miller isn’t coming back, but bringing in some fresh blood and a fresh perspective could help preventDeadpool 2from being a rehash of the first movie. Like it or not, David Leitch is the man in the director’s chair, but this feels like a positive thing.
31Josh Brolin is Cable
Before we really knew anything aboutDeadpool 2, we knew that the time-traveling mutant Cable was going to be in it. In the post-credit scene in the firstDeadpool, it was revealed that the sequel will finally be bringing the fan-favorite character to the big screen. The casting process was long and extensive, but Fox and the creative team ultimately decided to cast Josh Brolin as Cable, aka Nathan Summers. Even though Josh Brolin is already playing Thanos inAvengers: Infinity War, the Oscar-nominated actor managed to land the highly coveted role of Cable. He beat out other big names such as Michael Shannon and Brad Pitt, as well asStranger Thingsstar David Harbour, who was also in the mix. He may not have been everyone’s first choice, butJosh Brolinis a damn fine actor and he is the man tasked with bringing Cable to life on the big screen for the first time inDeadpool 2.
30Zazie Beetz is Domino.
While Fox decided to go with a huge name for the role of Cable, they went the opposite route for the role of Domino. Actress Zazie Beetz, who is best known for her role on FX’s seriesAtlanta, landed the coveted role of Domino inDeadpool 2, beating out other big names such as Kerry Washington and Janelle Monae. If you aren’t familiar with the character in the comics, Domino is an expert marksman and is very skilled in hand to hand combat, but her real power comes from her mutant power of being able to telekinetically manipulate probability. Zazie Beetz is going to be largely unknown to most of the audience who seesDeadpool 2, so we will pretty much get to see her as that character, since she is working from a bit of a blank slate, so to speak.
29Jack Kesy is the main villain, is he Marvel’s Black Tom?
20th Century Fox has tapped Jack Kesy (The Strain,Baywatch) to be the next major villain for Deadpool 2. It is not entirely clear which villain he will portray. But many sources are pointing to Deadpool villain Tom Cassidy, aka Black Tom. Black Tom is usually depicted as a villain up against the X-Men and archenemy of his cousin Banshee, but Black Tom has squared off against Deadpool numerous times as well. Black Tom is a mutant who first showed up in Marvel Comics X-Men #101 in 1976 and he can manipulate, bond with, and force energy through plants. He also uses a wooden object, often a walking stick that he can shoot blasts from. In addition, he is also a longtime partner with the impossibly strong villain Juggernaut. In the Deadpool comics, Black Tom was hired by Black Box, who can psychically retrieve, interpret, and store data from any form of electronic media, to hunt Deadpool. The idea of Kesy playing Black Tom is all currently speculation right now and he could very well be playing Black Box, since Deadline originally reported that their sources indicate that he will be playing a character named “Black Bob.” There is no such character as “Black Bob,” but you never know, maybe a new composite character will be announced, but that’s doubtful.
After having recently starred alongside Josh Hartnett in the indie flickOh Lucy!, Shioli Kutsuna is taking on a major role inDeadpool 2. But what that role is, is anyone’s guess. There have been some rumblings thatDeadpool 2will introduce a brand new mutant never before seen in the comics. Is this that Mutant? Perhaps not, as the New Mutant in question is reportedly named Mike, with actors such as Killian Scott and Charley Palmer Rothwell trying out for the role. Though news of Kutsuna’s casting came after this news broke. Perhaps this new mutant character has been gender-swapped. Shioli’s hero or villain status hasn’t been revealed yet. But before coming to the states, Kutsuna has been working in Japan as an actress for nearly a decade.
27Deadpool Goes Hunting for the Wilderpeople.
The Hunt For the Wilderpeopledirector Taika Waititi shared a photo of his young star Julian Dennison getting a piggy-back ride from the Merc With the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) in a recent set photo, confirming Dennison has been cast inDeadpool 2. No details have been given for the character he’s playing. But he certainly is an exciting new addition to this franchise. And he’ll more than likely bring a lot of fun to the proceedings.
26TheDeadpoolwriting duo is back.
If Ryan Reynolds is the most important piece of theDeadpoolpuzzle, which he undoubtedly is, following very close behind are writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Long before Fox officially gave the green light toDeadpool, Ryan Reynolds found Reese and Wernick, who, prior to that point, were best known for their work onZombieland, and brought them on board to work on the script. Together, they crafted the movie we all came to love, even joking in the opening credits that they were the “real heroes” of the movie. So the good news is that they are both back to help write the script forDeadpool 2, and they have been hard at work on it for months now. They are very committed to getting it right and in various interviews over the last several months, without giving away too much, they have been saying a lot of the right things. They don’t want to make the same mistakes that many sequels make and they know expectations are high. Having them back is a definite asset toDeadpool 2and something that should serve to encourage those looking forward to the sequel.
25Drew Goddard has joined the Creative Team.
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are largely responsible for making the firstDeadpoolwhat it was, but new blood and new ideas can’t possibly hurt anything. Especially when it is very talented new blood. So when it was announced that Fox had brought onDrew Goddardto help get the script where it needs to be forDeadpool 2, the sequel got some of that talented new blood. If you don’t know Drew Goddard by name, odds are, you still know his work. He has been a writer/producer onDaredevilfor Marvel and Netflix, as well as a producer on the other Marvel superhero shows that live on the streaming service. He was also one of the writers that helped saveWorld War Zfrom being a disaster. He also more recently wroteThe Martian, which went on to be a massive box office and critical success. The dude has talent and now he is putting that talent to use onDeadpool 2.
24What’s the story about this time?
No solid story details have been revealed, other than to sayDeadpool 2will definitely set upX-Force, with the inclusion of Cable and Domino. We do know that Wade Wilson will go unmasked during a late night fight in the rain. Wade Wilson will also be crashing a birthday party, perhaps to supplement his superhero income. This includes some much-needed fun in a bounce house. Weasel and cab driver Dopinder will find themselves set off on their own personal mission, but star T.J. Miller, who plays Weasel, isn’t confident this scene will actually get to stay in the movie. But the comedian has said there will be a whole lot more Weasel this time around.
