Deadpool 2’s new family friendly cut will now be called Once Upon A Deadpool. What’s more, Deadline have confirmed that part of the proceeds will go to charity – and that the new framing device will be a nod to The Princess Bride.
Seeing as how Ryan Reynolds spent years trying to make an R-rated superhero movie, the news that he’s prepared to rejig Deadpool 2 for children seems a bit odd.
“Fox has been asking for a PG-13 basically since the start in 2006,” said Reynolds. “I’ve said no since 2006. Now, this one time, I said ‘Yes’ on two conditions. First, a portion of the proceeds had to go to charity. Second, I wanted to kidnap Fred Savage. The second condition took some explaining…”
Donating $1 from every ticket sale to the Fuck Cancer campaign (renamed “Fudge Cancer” for the next few months), Fox agreed to Reynolds’ terms – and whole new scenes were shot to bulk out the softer edit. Just as The Princess Bride includes a framing device where Peter Falk reads a bedtime story to little Fred Savage, Once Upon A Deadpool will include wrap-around scenes where Deadpool reads to a (grown-up) Savage in his bedroom.
“While my participation in this film was anything but voluntary. I am happy to learn that Fudge Cancer will be the beneficiary of this shameless cash grab,” said Savage, now 42 and more famous as a producer on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
So far, Once Upon A Deadpool is only scheduled for a US release, but we’re expecting a UK date very soon.