Deadline caught up with Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to talk up the film’s Oscar chances, and of course the subject of Deadpool 2 came up handily.
“Yeah, it’ll be a solo movie,” said Reese of Deadpool 2. “It’ll be populated with a lot of characters, but it is still Deadpool’s movie, this next one. We’re pushing forward very hard. I think by every account we will shoot it this year, and we’re on our multiple draft now. It’s taken different twists and turns, but it’s really coalescing, and we’re very, very excited. We’re a little nervous, because now we feel like we have to live up to the first movie, but at the same time, we have to have faith, and we have an extreme passion still, and as long as we have passion still, and it’s not a mercenary, venal play, which we don’t think this is, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
“It’s a world that’s so rich and we always thought Cable should be in the sequel,” Wernick added of the iconic mutant who will join Ryan Reynolds onscreen, with everyone from Liam Neeson to Kyle Chandler rumored to play him. “There was always debate whether to put him in the original, and it felt like we needed to set up Deadpool and create his world first, and then bring those characters into his world in the next one.”
Finally, the writers came up with a very Deadpool-ian explanation of a new suspect who may have leaked the famous Deadpool test footage a few years ago…
“We’ve always wondered who leaked that test footage,” mused Wernick. “There’s really been only four suspects—it’s been myself, Rhett, Ryan [Reynolds], and [director] Tim [Miller], but a new suspect has emerged, and we’re gonna give you the scoop on this. It’s Putin, actually; Vladimir Putin leaked the test footage for Deadpool. [Laughs]”
Deadpool 2 is set to film this year for a 2018 release with what Reynolds says “is not going to be phenomenally bigger (budget).” Deadpool 2 will be directed by David Leitch (John Wick) from a screenplay by the returning “real heroes here,” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland). Reynolds is again serving as a producer on Deadpool 2 alongside X-Men franchise caretakers Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner.
An official release date has not been set for the film, though Fox has previously put placement release dates for their Marvel films on March 2, 2018, June 29, 2018, and November 2, 2018.
