Disney Announces More R-Rated ‘Deadpool’ Films and Taika Waititi Shoots Down ‘Guardians’ Rumors
Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, had a conference call with shareholders today, and he told them not even he is dumb enough to shoot himself in the foot and kill a billion franchise. You know, at least not again. Variety reported that Iger assured shareholders that Marvel would keep making Deadpool films, and they’d keep making them R-rated, probably because Once Upon a Deadpool sold about eight tickets.
“We will continue in that business,” promised Iger, adding, “There’s certainly popularity” with those types of films.
Iger hinted that these films won’t be released under the traditional Marvel or Disney banner. The company will make it an effort to ensure it is “carefully branding [R-rated films]…so we’re not in any way confusing the consumer,” Iger said.
Of course, Disney has already cut off its nose to spite its face once in the Marvel universe, and it’s potentially cost the company billions of dollars as the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise seems to have stalled. Despite assurances that Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 will eventually be made, no one wants to touch it. I’m sure the way James Gunn was fired because a handful of right-wing trolls is playing a part in it, but no one feels able to fill Gunn’s shoes, either. Taika Waititi was the latest director to kill rumors he could take the helm of the ill-fated third film.
Via Deadline:
For me, those are James (Gunn)’s films. Going into something like that with his stamp all over his films, would be like going into someone’s house and saying “Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now.” It feels kind of awkward.
I’m sure Marvel will eventually find someone to do this film, but they’re not going to find anyone good or respected. They’re going to have to settle for the kind of hack who would take a job so many people have turned down and that the cast clearly doesn’t want to work with.
The big question continues to be The X-Men. There’s no doubt that Marvel is going to scrap absolutely everything except for Deadpool, which will probably live in its own continuity and be full of meta-jokes about the changes. Dark Phoenix hasn’t had a successful test screening yet, and I have to imagine it’s only being released because it serves as a bookend to the X-Men continuity. The New Mutants, on the other hand, is scheduled to debut after the Fox/Disney merger is finalized, and I can only assume that the rumors it’ll get dumped on Hulu are true. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner even mentioned the possibility while discussing the how the upcoming season of X-Men TV series Legion would be its last.
They worked on it hard. I do like the idea that it started off as more of a teen movie and the decision came to make it more of a horror film. I think it’s a good idea. I want to see it be released. I’m hopeful that it will. I’d hate to see it thrown to Hulu.
It’s going to be on Hulu. The only ball still in the air now is The Gifted, and Fox might just cancel that out of spite for the way Ike Perlmutter tried to destroy the X-Men and Fantastic Four out of spite.
