It's been a few months since we have heard anything regarding the non-green-lit-but-should-be-per-most-fans-you-ask Deadpool movie from 20th Century Fox.
For a character who's popularity is higher than its ever been, you'd think Fox would jump all over this film to capitalize on its box office potential. So what's really the problem?
According to one of The Daily SuperHero's insiders, Fox may not be the problem with green lighting a solo Deadpool movie... Disney and Marvel Entertainment may be the real issue behind the scenes of it. Without having any confirmation, this information is more a product of what's been heard in certain Hollywood production circles. (Cue the "grain of salt" comment.)
The source stated that several within the industry believe that due to the increased popularity of Deadpool, Disney and Marvel are the ones who want a PG-13 Deadpool film. This could make sense seeing as how Deadpool's current path appears to be one which is taking him toward the larger mainstream audience.
Editor UPDATE Note: Some are saying Disney and Marvel have no power over Fox since Fox owns the movie rights to Deadpool. But as in any licensing agreement deal, per an Intellectual Property lawyer contact of mine, an IP owner does indeed have some say regarding their IP in what they'd consider extreme situations under a licensing deal with other companies. Plus, Disney hasn't approved any R-rated Marvel-related theatrical release since they acquired Marvel in 2009.
(Now here comes some conjecture about this from me.)
This is apparent with his recent appearance in the video game LEGO Marvel Super Heroes where Deadpool has his own side missions throughout the game. Plus, his season 2 appearance in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series shows his mainstream path.
The character has been somewhat toned down over the past year since his Marvel NOW comic book title debuted and even though the Deadpool video game by Activision had a mature rating, its sales were nothing spectacular when it was released mainly due to its mature nature and while it appealed to the older, hardcore Deadpool fan base, it was not rated for the larger mainstream audience. The mature rated game still made lots of money, but it was not a record selling game and has more or less disappeared from many store shelves already and it hasn't even been out for a year yet.
Finally, in an interview with Collider.com, producer Lauren Shuler Donner commented on the possibility of a Deadpool movie.
"First of all, the Deadpool movie should be $50m in any event, whether it is PG-13 or R. Because it’s a single character, it doesn’t involve that many of the other mutants, which means not many other powers, which is CGI, which is what costs so much. It would be a lot of action, but it should be — and because it’s a standalone character, just like the Wolverine films, we keep them at a smaller budget, so it should be a $50m budget regardless. And I am a producer who NEVER discusses her budgets, EVER, ever ever. But that one should be kept small. As for the rest of it, I can’t really talk about it. I’d love to take the movie, it’s a really good script, we’ll see."
Will a Deadpool movie happen? Maybe but if my insider is hearing things correctly, expect it to only be green lit with a PG-13 rating. Deadpool is mainstream now, so fans may need to understand and grasp this fact now and prepare themselves to see a PG-13 Deadpool movie if there is ever to be a solo movie for the Merc With a Mouth.
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