As someone who rose to stardom in the romantic-comedy genre that is so often tied to the holidays, Ryan Reynolds can appreciate a festive film. Though its legacy may sadly have more to do with fat shaming, 2005’s “Just Friends” gave Reynolds a chance to star opposite Amy Smart in his first Christmas movie. Then, in another expression of love for the yuletide, Reynolds shepherded the 2018 “Once Upon a Deadpool” re-release of “Deadpool 2” with a softer PG-13 rating and a bookend narration of Wade Wilson reading to a fully grown Fred Savage. Earlier this month, Reynolds returned to form as a proto-Scrooge in the Apple TV+ musical comedy “Spirited” — the latest in a series of too many “A Christmas Carol” remakes.
Now, Reynolds, who loves taking his family to “The Nutcracker” ballet at New York’s Lincoln Center, admitted in a recent interview with The Big Issue:
“I would love to see a song and dance number in a ‘Deadpool’ movie. Four years ago, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and I wrote a Christmas movie starring Deadpool. But it got lost in the shuffle of Disney acquiring Fox and it never got made … Maybe one day we’ll get to make that movie. It’s not a musical, but it’s a full ‘Deadpool’ Christmas movie. So one day.”
The prospect of a feature-length “Deadpool” Christmas movie getting made, especially with a wide release in theaters, might be ambitious at a time when Disney is more inclined towards TV shows and direct-to-streaming releases. But we’d argue the recent addition of Hugh Jackman to the cast of the third film inspires confidence it will solidify Deadpool as a box-office superstar under Disney’s new ownership. And as long as the holidays come every year, Disney Plus should at least have some openings in its slate of seasonal specials.
