While he has somehow etched his name onto the A-list – in what seems to be crayon, I might add – I do not think I’m making a groundbreaking, incendiary, or even novel statement when I say: Ryan Reynolds is not one of the most beloved leading men out there. Sure, tabloids leech off of him. Sure, People Magazine thinks he has an appealing facial structure. Sure, he’s had his fair share of middling blockbusters (and, let’s not forget, massive bombs). However, after several tragic misfires, such as 2011’s Green Lantern and 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, public support for the ever-smirking actor has been progressively declining.
For better or worse, though, Reynolds’ career may soon be given the jumpstart it so desperately needs. 20th Century Fox announced yesterday that their X-Men spin-off Deadpool will be opening on February 12th, 2016. Tim Miller, a VFX specialist who has worked on the X-Men,/em> movies, has been commissioned to direct.
There is also speculation that Deadpool could be Marvel’s first foray into darker, grimier, grittier, lowish-budget territory. Simon Kinberg, one of the producers attached to the project, even hinted that the movie could get an “R” MPAA rating – a definite first for the family-and-extended-family-and-step-family friendly approach that Marvel usually employs. “Yeah, it makes sense to me,” Kinberg said. “Genuinely it’s early phases, early days, but if you’re gonna do a Deadpool movie, I think you’ve gotta do a hard-R, darker movie and he is the perfect character to do it with.”
While Reynolds has not been formally announced in the role, most rumors are circulating around him. What do you think? Should Reynolds get one more chance to prove his chops?
