Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
February 17, 2016
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Felix Quinonez: I think it obviously helps but it's not like he's "THE NEW KING OF HOLLYWOOD." I've already seen a couple of articles exaggerating the importance of this opening. This won't hurt his career in any way but I still don't think that audiences will see a movie just because of him or that all R-rated comic book movies will be blockbusters. I actually think the biggest impact will be seen behind the scenes. Ryan Reynolds will be more sought after by studios and have more pull in Hollywood. I also think that more studios will be willing to greenlight R-rated comic book adaptations now that it's evident that they do have potential to make a lot of money.
Ben Gruchow: I think we see a moderate boost to the next one or two studio movies where Reynolds headlines; he is so clearly the central figure to Deadpool's comedy elements that I think we can lay a lot of the critical success (and therefore some of the audience interest) at his feet. I don't think we'll see much more longevity than that, but I wouldn't really have expected that, anyway; the age of movie-star loyalty is over.
Kim Hollis: While I do think this puts him in consideration for some better roles, I don't know how much it really boosts him. His track record as likable box office poison makes Deadpool seem an anomaly rather than some sort of breakthrough.
Edwin Davies: It gives him a signature franchise which will form the bedrock of his career for the next couple of years, up until he either ages out of it or until Fox drive the series into the ground and have to reboot it (as they are wont to do) and it will probably put his name in the conversation for bigger roles that he might otherwise have been considered for. However, it all depends on what he goes after, because up to this point he has had pretty lousy luck at picking projects that are a) good or b) successful. Whether Deadpool represents the end of that streak or just an anomaly remains to be seen.
David Mumpower: I think this is an especially tricky situation. Reynolds can point to the successes he's had with The Proposal and Safe House, which critics have historically credited to his more famous co-stars. With a third blockbuster on his resume, one that's all him, I think this positions him somewhere below Tobey Maguire after Spider-Man. He's not going to get full credit for this since A) he's unrecognizable for a lot of the film and B) people remember his bombs more than they do with most actors, for whatever reason.
If Reynolds does pull off another hit outside the Deadpool franchise, however, it's time to place him on the same trajectory that Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. once had. All three actors are people who had strong reputations within the industry. Each of them worked as much as they wanted. It was only after they found that one signature role that Depp and RDJ elevated their perceptions, though. Reynolds has now found that as well. He simply needs to leverage it effectively rather than missing his window a la Chris Pine with Star Trek.
Kim Hollis: What do you think the best future usage of Deadpool will be?
Edwin Davies: I think it would be interesting to see him crossover into other series as a background character who shakes things up, but I don't see how you could include a character who breaks the fourth wall in something more straight-laced like the X-Men series. It would probably be really distracting and hurt the suspension of disbelief that is crucial to those films. Maybe the best use of him would be keep him in his own series but allow characters from the X-Men universe, or the MCU if anyone can work out the legal issues behind that, to visit him and get a through lampooning.
Kim Hollis: Other than a sequel, I think he can work nicely as a tertiary supporting character in either X-Men or preferably the Avengers. Depending what happens in this year's Civil War, he might be great in a follow-up. I know that's not technically possible (unless Disney and Fox work out a deal), but he would be a different kind of character than what we're used to seeing amongst that group (although he was certainly present in the comic book version of the story).
David Mumpower: I don't say this often, but I think this franchise would benefit from doing more of the same. They have hit upon this sublime storytelling device, breaking the fourth wall to mock anything and everything. They should keep targeting the rest of the comic book movie industry, which everyone knows is in danger of (or should I say already suffering from?) saturation. As strange as this sounds, Deadpool vaguely reminds me of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in terms of infrastructure, only on a grand scale and with a massive production budget, at least for the next one. Follow the cynical sequel rules described in Scream 2. "1. The body count is always bigger. 2. The death scenes are always much more elaborate, with more blood and gore." Go with that.
I also maintain that the more important lesson here is that anybody who tries to imitate this is going to have it blow up in their face. It'll be similar to all these atrocious DC movies trying to be another Batman Begins/The Dark Knight. Even Christopher Nolan struggled to make another movie worthy of those two, and the inferior clones from the Zack Snyders of the world fail mightily. Hard-R superhero stories are more likely to follow the path of The Punisher than that of Deadpool. Unless your character can talk directly to the viewing audience to keep them comfortable and engaged, don't give into the temptation of ultraviolence.