“Deadpool & Wolverine” blew the box office away, but even the biggest fans of this cameo-packed paean to fan indulgence could surely agree that the film’s appeal isn’t down to its storyline. The movie represents a bizarre terminus for the trend started by such films as “Spiderman: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” wherein movies become delivery vehicles for whatever guest appearances will elicit the biggest fan reaction. Throw in some Easter eggs and Ryan Reynolds’ relentless drive to market the living hell out of whatever project he’s a part of, and you’ve got yourself a hit. It might not resemble any kind of movie you’ve ever seen, but it will be a hit nonetheless.
None of this is to say that “Deadpool & Wolverine” is bad — though this issue did tear the /Film team apart — only to say that it represents something truly novel in the history of Hollywood. It is the fulfillment of Martin Scorsese’s assessment of Marvel Cinematic Universe products as theme park rides rather than films: a grand old time at the movies that simultaneously delivers yet another blow against cinema itself.
Of course, if you ask Ryan Reynolds, director Shawn Levy, the writers, or pretty much anyone involved with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” they’ll talk of a storyline that is integral to the movie’s success; an emotional buddy comedy heart that grounds the otherwise bombastic action and unabated guest appearances. As Levy told The New York Times, “The commitment to a self-contained, single story was bedrock for Ryan [Reynolds] and me.” The director also told the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, “The movie does have much more character, depth, and heart than I think anyone is expecting.”
Regardless of whether you agree or not, it seems one person who cared as much about that “character, depth, and heart” was Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively, who offered a note that ended up significantly changing the ending of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Blake Lively’s note caused a Deadpool & Wolverine reshoot
As the voice actor behind Lady Deadpool, Blake Lively was already a part of “Deadpool & Wolverine” before it hit the editing stage. But it seems the actress also had a hand in shaping the climax of the movie.
The end of “Deadpool and Wolverine” sees the titular heroes destroy the Time Ripper device that threatens to disintegrate Wade Wilson’s timeline, causing a massive explosion that leaves the audience in suspense as to whether either of the duo survived. The film then cuts to Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) going on an extended rant while B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) looks on, leaving the audience in suspense as they wait to discover the fate of Deadpool and Logan.
In early cuts, however, this wasn’t the way the movie ended. As revealed in the film’s director’s commentary (via Total Film), Lively, who actually broke “Deadpool & Wolverine” out of its box office number one streak with her romantic drama “It Ends With Us,” was shown an early version of the movie and immediately gave a note that would lead to a quick reshoot. As Shawn Levy explained:
“Credit where credit is due. It used to be that there was no suspense, that the power room blew up, and our heroes had survived. And it was Blake Lively who said to us, ‘You know, I’ve been with you this whole movie. I want to sit in the fear that they’re lost. Let me be in that place of suspense so the triumph of their survival is more emotional and visceral.’ That was a Blake note and it really opened up a new way of thinking about this part of the movie and it’s why we did this reshoot … and, here, the payoff is so much more satisfying.”
Blake Lively made Deadpool & Wolverine better
After Blake Lively gave her two cents on the ending of “Deadpool and Wolverine,” Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds set up reshoots to accommodate her vision. As Reynolds explained,”We did just a day-and-a-half of reshoots on the movie, which we’re very proud of. These kinds of movies typically involve weeks of reshoots. But this speech that Matthew [Macfadyen] has is one of the pieces that we reshot. And he is miraculous.”
The speech by Paradox is a great moment, if only because Macfadyen gives it his all and goes through about 27 different emotions as his character desperately tries to finagle his way out of facing justice. It also makes for a nice little reveal when Deadpool and Logan finally do reappear. So, while Lively having her say over aspects of the movie definitely sounds like it could have constituted a Yoko vs. The Beatles kind of dynamic for everyone but Reynolds, in this case it really did seem to pay off.
Meanwhile, it will be fascinating to see how the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine” influences the tone and approach of MCU movies going forward. Are we doomed to a cavalcade of cameo reels for the foreseeable future, or will Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige keep this kind of thing localized to future “Deadpool” movies as he tries to restore his franchise to box office supremacy? Time will tell, but maybe he should consider checking in with Lively for the next one, just to be safe.
