The Disney empire will have a swarm of new properties under its roof once the purchase of 20th Century Fox, including the X-Men. Among the prominent characters from this world of mutants is Deadpool, who, in sharp contrast to most of the other X-Men movies, has operated in the R-rated realm. With the Merc with the Mouth now living at the House of Mouse, there’ve been questions about if the character would be toned down to fit the PG-13 constraints of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but according to Disney CEO Bob Iger, there are no plans to do that. On the topic of Deadpool staying R, Iger said:
We’re going to continue in that business, and there might be room for more of that.
Bob Iger addressed the status of Deadpool’s future at Disney during the company’s quarter earnings call with investors today, promising that Disney won’t interfere by toning down Wade Wilson. However, Iger also noted that Disney would ensure that it’s “carefully branding” Deadpool and the other R-rated properties (like Alien) it owns so that the company isn’t “confusing the consumer.”
Back in late 2017, when it had only just been recently confirmed that Disney was looking to acquire the 20th Century Fox entertainment holdings, Bob Iger mentioned how there could be “an opportunity for a Marvel-R brand for something like Deadpool.” Today’s statement reaffirms that he’s set on keeping Deadpool in the R realm rather than force him into a PG-13 box. So even though Once Upon a Deadpool gave audiences an opportunity to watch a Deadpool cinematic adventure unfold within a PG-13 environment, Iger is adopting the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” with the chimichanga-loving antihero.
This does beg the question, though, of what this would mean for Deadpool’s interactions with Marvel heroes not within his sphere, namely those in the MCU. Even on the off chance that Ryan Reynolds gets to keep playing Deadpool (considering how often Wade Wilson breaks the fourth wall, he could easily make the transition) rather than the character being rebooted alongside the rest of the X-Men characters, does him staying R-rated mean he can’t interact with folks like Spider-Man, Black Panther and Captain Marvel? Or would Disney make an exception and thrust him into PG-13 parameters for these team-ups? There’s also the question about if Bob Iger and the rest of Disney’s leadership are open to other Marvel characters leading their own R-rated movies given Deadpool’s success.
Right now, Ryan Reynolds’ version of Deadpool is slated to return for X-Force and Deadpool 3, with the latter movie “looking to go in a completely different direction.” However, given the impending Disney/Fox deal finally going through, it remains to be seen if these projects will actually move forward, but presumably we don’t need to worry about them being retooled into PG-13 offerings if they do come out.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on what’s happening with Deadpool on the big screen. For now, stay up to date with what’s coming out this year by looking through our 2019 release schedule.
