Everyone can agree that "Green Lantern" was a terrible movie, but when it came to pointing the blame, Ryan Reynolds bore the brunt of the criticism. And given that the film was working from a dreadful script credited to four different writers, and flaccid direction from Martin Campbell, it’s a bit unfair that the actor was left to shoulder the disappointment and anger of fanboys. But would he go back and change the course of things knowing then what he knows now?
"I know that this is gonna sound like some sort of guy who’s spent a little bit of time in a monastery or something, but it all led to here," he told GQ. "If I had to do it all again, I’d do the exact same thing. You know, also, ‘Green Lantern’ — you gotta remember, at the time, everyone was gunning for that role. The guys I was screen-testing against are amazing talents. But would I change it? No! And if it was as big a success, then it might have offered a whole different avenue of opportunities, or maybe I would just be kind of always that guy. I really don’t know."
Indeed, that’s a wise reflection from the actor who beat out Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake, and Jared Leto for the role, and who is putting on spandex again to lead "Deadpool." And while you might think Reynolds would be reluctant to go through the superhero experience again, he explains the changed circumstances that come with this next project.
" ‘Deadpool’ was different because there wasn’t a big budget attached to it. There was not a tremendous responsibility to meet some kind of bottom line. Those kinds of superhero movies when you’re out front, there’s a vast and quite frightening budget attached to them. This one had a super-reasonable budget, and it was subversive and a little bit different, and to me a little refreshing in the comic-book world. But you always have trepidation. When you’re out front, you have trepidation,” he said.
And while 20th Century Fox is still dealing with the flop of "Fantastic Four," Reynolds isn’t too concerned about "Deadpool" not finding an audience. “It’s a genre. There are good horror movies and bad horror movies. There are good comedies and bad comedies. Think of it like that. Think of it less about just superheroes," he says about the genre, which some of have said is on the wane. "I do believe that they explore similar archetypes a lot, so I think that notion can be somewhat fatiguing, maybe. I think one of the reasons that ‘Deadpool’ has gained a lot of momentum isn’t just that it’s funny or isn’t just that it’s rated R. The meta aspect is very important. So I think ‘Deadpool’s coming along at the right time, because it’s also speaking to that generation and that group of people that have seen them all, seen all these comic-book films and enjoyed them all to varying degrees of success. But I think it’s speaking to them as though the guy in that red suit is one of them, to some degree.”
Agree with Reynolds? Let us know below and see you February 12, 2016 for "Deadpool."