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role. The result wasn’t a
success. Fans protested
the incarnation of the
character heatedly. This
was a character most
distinguishable by his
relentless wit, but Hood
had Deadpool’s mouth
sewn shut for half the
movie. A planned spin-off
that would have revolved
around the Deadpool
character was in jeopardy.
Following the negative reception to
Origins
, longtime X-Men series producer, Lauren
Shuler Donner, proposed a re-evaluation of the
character. The idea was to disregard Hood’s
contentious interpretation and focus on the traits
that the comic iteration of Deadpool is famous
for, such as his tendency to break the fourth wall.
Donner enlisted Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
to write a script. A month into the writing
process, an early draft was leaked online. Fans
responded enthusiastically. It was enough for
the production company, 20th Century Fox, to
concede a small budget for test footage to be
filmed. Donner approached a number of directors
before deciding onTim Miller, in early 2011. Miller
had been nominated for an Academy Award for his
animated short,
Gopher Broke
, and had worked on
the title sequences for
The Girl with the DragonTattoo
and
Thor: The DarkWorld
, but had never directed a
feature film. Miller was given a small budget and was
left to his own devices. After three years, it seemed as
though the project had faded away.
In July 2014, the test footage, created with visual
effects and Reynolds in a motion capture suit, was
leaked online. Fox didn’t sanction the leak. The source
of the online release remains a mystery to this day,
although thinly veiled hints from Reynolds point to
Miller. The footage went viral and fan response was
overwhelmingly positive. It was enough to reignite
studio interest in the character.
“I had meetings on the Fox lot that following
week, and that
Deadpool
footage was all the
buzz,” Rob Liefeld, creator of the Deadpool comics
commented. “It had an impact. You could see it and
feel it in the executive suites. It was palpable.”
Fox gave
Deadpool
the green light and production
went ahead with a $58 million budget, roughly half
that of the average superhero film.
The marketing campaign for
Deadpool
was
unorthodox, reportedly on orders from Miller, who
27
FEATURE
DVD
&
BD
DVD
&
BD
was keen for the perverse take on the superhero
genre to encompass all aspects of the production.
Initial images of Deadpool showed the character
sprawled in front of a fire on a bearskin rug. One
particularly memorable billboard simply presented
the skull emoticon followed by the excrement
emoticon with an ‘L’ at the end.
Somehow it worked. No one in Hollywood can
quite pinpoint the reason as to the success of
Deadpool
. An exasperated executive from a rival
studio commented that, “They did everything
wrong and it turned out right.”
Perhaps that’s the point. Authority over the
direction of the industry is more ambiguous
than it has ever been. Fans are emerging as a
commanding influence.
Without the fans, and without the internet buzz,
one of Hollywood’s biggest successes of the year
would never have happened. American film is an
industry that can emulate success slavishly while
suppressing individuality. The recent spout of
extended cinematic universes is just one example
of the studio obsession with repeat success. If
Deadpool
has proven anything, it’s that audiences
are craving something unique.
•
Deadpool
is out on May 25
KICK-ASS
A customised wetsuit, a pair of batons
and a high pain threshold turns average
teen Dave Lizewski into a crimefighter
who kicks ass. (Played by Aaron Taylor-
Johnson in
Kick-Ass
, 2010)
THE CRIMSON BOLT
Arned with a pipe wrench, short-order
cook Frank Darbo tells crime to "Shut
Up!" and declares war on the sleazy
drug lord who seduced his wife. (Played
by Rainn Wilson in
Super
, 2010)
DEFENDOR
Delusional road crew worker Arthur
Poppington trades his tools for a bag
of marbles and a squirting plastic lime
to fight crime and his nemesis, Captain
Industry. (Played by Woody Harrelson in
Defendor
, 2009)
GRIFF THE INVISIBLE
Bullied office worker Griff becomes
a crimefighter by night, clad in an
invisibility cloak that makes him highly
visible. (Played by Ryan Kwanten in
Griff the Invisible
, 2010)
NOT SO
SUPER HEROES