The backlash came thick and fast when a PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2 was first announced, but what feels like an act of blasphemy to some of the Merc’s biggest fans will likely be welcomed by a fair few parents, and so the new trailer for Once Upon a Deadpool makes a point of spelling out the message that this is one Wade Wilson flick that you can take the kids to.
“The only F-bomb we’re using around here is ‘Fred Savage’,” Ryan Reynolds quips before the aforementioned star of The Princess Bride can let out a curse word. The wholesome voiceover narrator, meanwhile, explains in whimsical rhyme how the film is safe for grandmas and approved teens.
With this family friendly cut, it’s evident that Fox is aiming to bring in a different kind of audience from the older viewers who showed up for the film’s initial release. And while many of those same fans remain skeptical of the project, it seems that the idea has at least one supporter in actress Zazie Beetz, who explained last month that her younger brother still hasn’t seen her movie.
Of course, as is often the case with the Merc’s output, Once Upon a Deadpool also looks like its trying to have its cake and eat it too by way of a little self-aware humor, with this new trailer poking fun at the very concept of trying to filter the story of Deadpool 2 “through the prism of child-like innocence.” With that in mind, this re-release could end up converting a few fans amongst its detractors after all, but we’ll find out when the film begins its two-week run in cinemas from December 12th.