In 2016, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool broke the mold of the superhero genre with its irreverent tone, unconventional marketing, and R-rating. While the film was a huge success and inspired a 2018 sequel, the future of the franchise was thrown into question due to Disney's merger with Fox. While Disney and Marvel Studios were expected to capitalize on the property, its future within the MCU seemed uncertain given its penchant for adult humor and overt self-awareness.
But this time, Marvel Studios was the one to break the mold. Not only is the threequel moving forward, but Deadpool 3 was confirmed as part of the MCU and will make history as the first MCU movie with an R-rating.
While Deadpool 3 is already a groundbreaking film for Marvel Studios, fans are now learning that the project - and Ryan Reynolds - are making Marvel history in another way.
Ryan Reynolds Production Company Attached to Deadpool 3
According to Ryan Reynolds' interview with Forbes, Deadpool 3 will be the first Disney-owned Marvel Studios movie to partner with a production company outside of Marvel Studios, as Reynolds' own Maximum Effort Productions will be part of the threequel's producing team.
Following his experience in marketing 2016's Deadpool, Reynolds co-founded Maximum Effort Productions in 2018, which is why the company bears one of Deadpool's catchphrases.
Now that Maximum Effort Productions will be credited alongside Marvel Studios for Deadpool 3, the actor will be doing double-duty working both in front of the camera and behind it for this threequel.
While other MCU stars have served as producers for their respective Marvel films and Disney+ series, this is a first for a Marvel actor. And, it's also new for the typical in-house nature of Marvel Studios in recent years.
Still, while the involvement of another production company is rare for an MCU film, it's not unprecedented. Before Disney acquired Marvel Studios, Valhalla Motion Pictures was credited alongside Marvel Studios for 2008's Universal-distributed The Incredible Hulk. Also, Columbia Pictures, Pascal Pictures, and Marvel Studios produced all three of the Sony-distributed Tom Holland Spider-Man films.
Ryan Reynolds' role as a producer kicked into high gear thanks to 2016's Deadpool, which offered him "a crash course in the value of marketing and storytelling," as well as "the value of character over spectacle":
“I really had a crash course in the value of marketing and storytelling in this context through Deadpool. Deadpool taught me that necessity is the mother of invention. Deadpool, the franchise, never had the kind of budgets and finances to work with that some of the larger comic book properties did. Two of the greatest adversaries to creativity is too much time and too much money. I learned the value of character over spectacle through Deadpool.”
In 2021, MNTN - a platform attempting to redefine the possibilities television offers advertisers - acquired the marketing branch of Maximum Effort, making the Deadpool star MNTN's Chief Creative Officer.
Mark Douglas, the CEO of MNTN, had nothing but praise for the actor, saying he "truly is the Chief Creative Officer" and that "the guy really works":
“He is truly the Chief Executive Officer. He and George Dewey who co-founded Maximum Effort - George is an incredible creative force. Ryan’s personality and his work ethic. I mean, the guy really works. That’s what I learned really early and they really love what they’re doing. I actually think, had I gone out to find and searched for that role, Chief Creative Officer, I don’t think I would’ve found someone as smart and as fun and easy to work with as Ryan, and George also.”
Reynolds' Unique Style Guaranteed for Deadpool 3
For Deadpool fans, this is good news. Again, after Disney acquired Fox, many feared the parent company and Marvel Studios would change the property to make it fit their brands.
Clearly, that doesn't appear to be the case - and since Reynolds' own company is sharing production credits with Marvel Studios, the actor's own unique voice and style are practically guaranteed.
This news also makes the recent confirmation that Reynolds' frequent collaborator Shawn Levy would be directing Deadpool 3 all the more interesting, knowing Reynolds has more sway behind the scenes than fans originally expected.
It also may explain why, back in 2020, there was a rumor that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was interested in signing Reynolds to the biggest deal in MCU history. While "biggest" was interpreted as Feige's interest in having the actor appear in multiple MCU projects, in retrospect, it may have related to Maximum Effort's playing a role in the upcoming film's production.
Deadpool 3 is shaping up to be one of Marvel's most interesting films in more ways than one. The real question now is how Reynolds and Marvel Studios will market the film together, and whether the star intends to make more Marvel history along the way.
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