Bob Iger Asked Ryan Reynolds to Cut One Line From ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Leading up to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, many fans wondered how the family-friendly Disney would take to the distinctly R-rated Deadpool franchise.
The coarse language and violence that made Ryan Reynolds’s superhero stand out (and stand above) many of his Marvel counterparts seemed to clash with the tone that Disney traditionally wanted its films to take. In short, fans were worried that Disney would water down the Merc With the Mouse.
Photo: Marvel
In the end, all of those worries proved to be for naught. Propelled by the same humor, charm, and (yes) violence that have become hallmarks of the Deadpool franchise, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Shawn Levy, and their partners at Disney have the most “Deadpool” movie yet.
Kevin Feige’s “Haunting” Words
Reflecting back on working with Disney and integrating Deadpool into the broader MCU, Reynolds recalled two seminal moments in the film’s development.
The first was when the actor was in a meeting with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige.
Source: Complex.com
“He said something that sounds very pedantic and is probably not the thing to say out loud, but actually, weirdly, served as a creative engine. He was like, ‘Make every scene great.’ And I was like, ‘Thanks, Kev. Sounds good.’”
As development on Deadpool & Wolverine continued, Reynolds said Feige’s words “haunted” him.
Photo: Marvel
In the end, Feige’s simple words drove Reynolds to create his masterpiece. Deadpool & Wolverine was, he says, “an apex moment in my life, in terms of the experience of both making something and not just the outcome of it, the box office and stuff, but the actual experience of the movie itself. Sitting in a movie theater with an audience where I’m hiding in the back, getting to watch those moments of surprise.”
Bob Iger’s One Request
Turning back to his relationship with Disney, Reynolds noted that the studio was “such great partners.”
There was, however, one line that Bob Iger asked to be cut from the film.
NBC News
“There was only one line in the entire film that they asked me to take out,” Reynolds recalled as the audience began to groan.
“No. No. No! And they were right!” he said.
According to Reynolds, while he initially came around, the actor’s first inclination was to fight back.
Image Credit: ABC News
“As soon as somebody says something, like, ‘Ryan, Bob Iger here. Would love it if you’d take that one line out. It’s really going to make our life hard over here.’ As soon as they say that, there’s just something in my brain that goes, ‘Must keep line! Precious!’ And then as soon as the fog of war lifts and you have a second thought, it’s like, ‘Of course I can take that out. Can I say something about Pinocchio instead?’ And the answer is yes!”
Photo: Marvel
In the end, Disney proved that it could make a proper Deadpool film. The studio’s faith in Reynolds’s superhero was rewarded with the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
