Exclusive Interview! DEADPOOL Creator Rob Liefeld Discusses Leaked Test Footage


The day after the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International ended, Deadpool fans were treated to a leak of the test footage of director Tim Miller, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and actor Ryan Reynolds' vision of a Deadpool solo movie. Fox, then, began pulling it down from the Internet while a passionate fan base was (and still is) uploading it for everyone to see.

The Daily SuperHero reached out to Rob Liefeld—who is the creator of Deadpool, Lady Deadpool and the Deadpool Corps—for further information about the Deadpool test footage. Liefeld was happy to share exclusive info about the fantastic footage.

The Daily SuperHero: What were the reasons for utilizing motion capture technology instead of live action with green screen? And how long was the production process for the Deadpool test footage? 
Rob Liefeld: Any technical questions would best be answered by the talented Mr. Tim Miller who directed the entire sequence. As for the entire existence of this footage, remember that it is appropriately referred to as "test" footage for a reason. Fox had released a relatively small budget for Tim to present his vision of the script written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Tim is a master of the short film format, his Star Wars shorts and trailers for their video games are outstanding. Tim's Blur Studios is an amazing outfit, home to over 70 artists under his direction, it's Southern California's own Industrial Light and Magic. 
The digital costume over Ryan Reynold's motion capture (Mo-Cap) performance was an approach they wanted to explore and they had a relatively small window to create this short so they opted to "test" the look of a digital Deadpool costume over Ryan. I'm quite pleased at how it turned out, especially considering Baraka-Deadpool from Wolverine Origins. 
Most people are unaware that the Spider-Man they see swinging over Manhattan in the [Sam] Raimi and the [Marc] Webb films is a digital creation, a CGI cartoon figure, Deadpool would operate as a similar hybrid of live action/cgi. Again, this was a test to sell the director and writers vision.
DSH: The test footage was filmed approximately two years ago, are you surprised it took so long to leak and are you surprised at the fan reaction to the footage? 
RL: No, I'm not surprised, studios take leaks very seriously and they can carry a severe penalty for all involved. I've seen the footage about a dozen times over the years, but there is no recording allowed. You sit, you watch, you exit. I'm un-certain how exactly the footage was obtained and released but I hope it doesn't pose any further delay on the film.  
I'd also like to note that this was filmed 3 years ago this summer and that Tim and his crew have upped their game considerably beyond what you see here. Tim is an uncredited director on the pre-credit sequence for Thor: The Dark World, the sequence that introduces Maleketh and the battle against Odin's Father, that whole sequence is stunning and was created on short notice. I can only imagine how amazing Deadpool would look 3 years later with all of Tim's advancements as a director.  
One more thing, because Tim and Rhett and Paul were so generous with me and allowed me to witness the entire process from concept art to storyboards to pre-viz, I assure you there are many more impressive sequences beyond this one. If they were allowed to release the hounds, it would be incredible. You can see that they have a great command over the look and feel of Deadpool.
DSH: Have you, Tim, Rhett, Paul and Ryan ever expected this level of fan excitement over the footage? 
RL: I'm quite certain that no one anticipated this level of excitement for this reel. I'm so happy for Tim, Rhett, Paul and Ryan. It's even more amazing considering how grainy and dark the footage is. That is not a high quality clip. I've only seen it in HD on a big screen. The overwhelming enthusiasm for such a low quality clip is impressive.
DSH: Do you think it is more than coincidence that footage was leaked the day after Comic-Con ended? Or do you think the leak has to do with Deadpool's recent surge in popularity? 
RL: No idea whatsoever. You'd have to say that whoever timed it really scored a direct hit.
DSH: If you can comment, why did Fox opt to not move forward with a Deadpool movie? 
RL: That is for Fox to answer.
DSH: Do you think the positive reaction of the fans for the leaked footage puts pressure on Fox to finally green light a Deadpool movie? 
RL: I wish I knew, it could just as soon piss them off. I really have no feeling on it at the moment. My relationships on Deadpool are with the film makers. There have been some major executive turn overs at the studio level in recent years and I'd like to believe that the current regime is basking in the glow of the enormous success of X-Men Days of Future Past, far and away their biggest achievement to date for the X-family. Here's hoping they want to add Deadpool to the film library.
DSH: Finally, who would win in a fight ... Squirrel Pool or Rocket Raccoon? 
RL: Squirrel Pool straight up, Rocket would be in waaaay over his head.
Thank you to Rob Liefeld for taking the time to answer questions about the Deadpool test footage. Follow Rob on Twitter, @RobertLiefeld.