We all know how sequels typically work in Hollywood. If a movie does well, the filmmakers use the confidence it creates to get a lot of money, and then use their newly bolstered budget to ramp up the action, the effects, and the general spectacle of the next movie. It’s a system we’ve all become familiar with over the years, as the superhero genre has slowly grown and franchises have begun to tackle apocalyptic scenarios. Director Tim Miller recognizes this method as well, and aims to avoid it with the upcoming Deadpool 2.
Speaking with Comicbook.com at Silicon Valley Comic-Con, Tim Miller opened up about the success of Deadpool and the direction he intends to take the sequel – noting that he doesn’t plan to make the follow-up a lot bigger than its predecessor. Miller explained,
I don't think bigger is better. You tell a story that's organic to the character. Deadpool's world doesn't mean you have to go bigger. I don't think the fans of the movie like it because we had big effects.
So it sounds like Tim Miller has every intention of keeping the scale of Deadpool 2 as small as the original. Deadpool’s appeal lies more in the writing and the film’s off-the-wall nature, rather than explosions and grand action sequences. While franchises like The Avengers and the burgeoning DCEU have seen fit to ramp up the stakes and action with each passing movie, a property like Deadpool inherently goes against the grain, and in many ways will work better if they don’t follow the traditional sequel route.
It’s an indescribable relief to know that he feels this way. Deadpool worked because of its small, insulated nature. In fact, the stakes of Wade Wilson’s first solo outing were actually comically low; all he really wanted from his manhunt for Ajax was to have his severe scarring reversed. He had no intention of saving the world, or even saving anybody for the better part of the film’s run time.
Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds likely won’t be able to make Deadpool 2 much bigger anyway because the budget will probably remain small for the upcoming sequel. Miller recently spoke out and explained that part of the reason 20th Century Fox took a hands-off approach to Deadpool stemmed from the fact that they invested relatively little money in its production. By keeping the budget small, it allows more creative freedom on the side of the filmmakers, and also forces them to keep the scale of the movie small due to the fact that they cannot afford major set pieces.
What do you think about Tim Miller’s statement? Should Deadpool go bigger, or keep the affair relatively small and insulated by comic book movie standards? Let us know what you think in the comments and keep the conversation going.
