Not only will Deadpool remain R-rated under Disney’s roof, but it seems the world-famous mutant is also set for a bright future, after CEO Bob Iger revealed his desire to “keep making sequels” for Reynolds’ lewd, crude anti-hero.
This tidbit emerged online soon after Disney brokered a momentous, game-changing deal with 21st Century Fox in the region of $51.4 billion. It follows six weeks of negotiations and alleged false starts, and we understand the Mouse House now owns all of Fox’s film rights – Avatar, X-Men and the Fantastic Four included. That’s right, the Marvel Cinematic Universe just got a major upgrade.
But if there’s one character who has been thrust into the spotlight of late, it’s Deadpool. As the undisputed sleeper hit of 2016, Tim Miller’s wildly successful standalone pic soon became the irreverent, R-rated outlier of Hollywood’s modern superhero genre, grossing $783 million in the process. That eye-watering total was enough to catapult Deadpool to the tip-top of the box office charts, where it became the highest-earning X-Men film of all time – a title it still holds to this day.
And true to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ adage, Bob Iger told investors that he plans to keep making Deadpool sequels for as long as the audience desires, while there’s even been mention of an R-rated Marvel movie coming to fruition.
Via Twitter:
Iger specifically calls out "Deadpool," wants to keep making sequels. "There may be an opportunity for an R-rated Marvel brand as long as we let audiences know what’s coming."
— Ben Fritz (@benfritz) December 14, 2017
You can thank the back-to-back success of Deadpool and Logan for the sudden fascination with R-rated comic book movies. Whereas Marvel’s lineup has always favored the PG-13 bracket with its light-hearted spectacle, peculiar lack of blood, and innocent curse words – you know, barring “mewling quim” – Fox broke new ground with its mature, adult-oriented fare.
I mean, can you really imagine James Mangold’s Logan as a PG-13 movie? It’s the cinematic equivalent of jamming a square peg into a round hole, and providing this isn’t just lip service from Iger, whose contract now spans into 2021, we’re hopeful that Deadpool 2 will be just one of many unapologetic, R-rated movies to come.