WhileDeadpoolhas become a major cinematic franchise, with the newest entry,Deadpool & Wolverine,hitting theaters next week, production on the first movie was far from a multi-million dollar set-up, andRyan Reynoldsremembers the pain of getting the original movie made. Deadpool is a character thatReynolds has wanted to bring to the big screen for years. There were rumors circulating about the film’s development for years before its eventual release in 2016. Before the movie was finally released to the public, and quickly became the highest grossing R-rated movie at the time, it was a nightmare for Reynolds to get the movie out of a 10-year development hell.
Ryan Reynolds recently spoke toVarietyabout the upcomingDeadpool & Wolverine, and took a moment to look back at the financial struggles facing the original movie’s production.Reynolds was barely paid at all for his involvement in the film(which he starred in and produced) so that the film’s writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, could be on set for impromptu script changes. Reynolds explained:
“No part of me was thinking when Deadpool was finally greenlit that this would be a success.I even let go of getting paid to do the movie just to put it back on the screen: They wouldn’t allow my co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick on set, so I took the little salary I had left and paid them to be on setwith me so we could form a de facto writers room.”
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Ryan Reynolds Believes Smaller Budgets Allow for Greater Creativity
Unlike other major superhero movies at the time,Deadpoolreceived a fractional budget of $58 million. While that can heavily hinder what is possible on-screen, especially in a genre known for utilizing excessive special effects and CGI, Reynolds saw it as a positive. Because ofDeadpool’s smaller budget, director Tim Miller had to get creative with the film’s action. Reynolds explained:
“It was a lesson in a couple of senses. I think one of the great enemies of creativity is too much time and money, and that movie had neither time nor money.It really fostered focusing on character over spectacle, which is a little harder to execute in a comic-book movie.I was just so invested in every micro-detail of it and I hadn’t felt like that in a long, long time. I remembered wanting to feel that more — not just on Deadpool, but on anything.”
One famous example ofDeadpoolworking around its smaller budgetcomes in its final showdown. After Deadpool steps out of Dopinder’s (Karan Soni) taxi, he’s meant to be carrying a bag full of guns, ready for a glorious shootout with Ajax’s (Ed Skrein) henchmen. However, Deadpool left the bag in the taxi, meaning he could only use his swords in the fight. This perfectly Deadpoolian moment was actually a result of budget constraints, as the production didn’t have the VFX budget necessary for the planned shootout.
Deadpool & Wolverinereleases in theaters on July 29, 2025.
