Until Deadpool and its sequel consecutively became the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history, Ryan Reynolds and comic book adaptations didn’t really mix. The actor had previously starred in Blade: Trinity, X-Men: Origins Wolverine, Green Lantern, and R.I.P.D.; it would be an understatement to say that none of them exactly set the world alight.
However, he’s now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a recent cryptic social media post has ignited speculation that the Merc with a Mouth’s first onscreen appearance since his 20th Century Fox days could be happening sooner rather than later. However, we’ve heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Reynolds had boarded the Fast & Furious franchise long before his Hobbs & Shaw cameo was revealed – that the 44-year-old is reportedly talking with Paramount to have his Maximum Effort banner develop and produce an original superhero story, with an eye towards having him play the lead role.
Unfortunately, that’s about as far as the details stretch for the moment, but original superhero movies that aren’t based on existing comic books are becoming increasingly prevalent. This is hardly surprising when the rights to the biggest and most well-known titles are split between a handful of studios and the costumed crimefighting bubble still hasn’t burst even after 20 years and counting.
Since Blade and X-Men saved the reputation of the comic book blockbuster following the disastrous Batman & Robin, titles like Unbreakable, The Incredibles, Hancock, Megamind, Sky High, Chronicle, Code 8, Thunder Force, Archenemy, Brightburn and many more have all put unique spins on the standard tropes, so if Ryan Reynolds has come up with a good enough idea then it’s definitely something worth exploring further.
