Five-time Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola says he thought Deadpool was amazing. Following his less-than-faithful Merc with a Mouth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds made his irreverent, fourth wall-breaking debut as Wade Wilson in 2016. On a $58 million budget, Deadpool grossed over $784 million at the international box office. Its sequel, 2018’s Deadpool 2, made even more money for 20th Century Fox, amassing a $1.5 billion total for one of the highest-grossing R-rated franchises of all time.

The only R-rated film to gross more than Deadpool 2 has been 2019’s Joker. However, that comic book-based movie, along with 2017’s Logan, arguably would not exist had Deadpool not paved the way. Given the cultural impact of Deadpool, and Reynolds’ inimitable performance, it came as no surprise when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed Deadpool 3 was in the works. Recently, it was announced that Shawn Levy (Free Guy, The Adam Project) would reunite with Reynolds to direct the third installment with a script from Bob’s Burgers writers, Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin. Wade Wilson/Deadpool has proved a fan-favorite since his first solo big screen outing, becoming essentially synonymous with Reynolds himself, and now it seems that the character also caught the eye of one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures.

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Cinematic auteur and occasional Marvel critic, Coppola recently commended Deadpool in a rare profile from Variety. Coppola said that he “liked” the Marvel movie, but didn’t stop there in his praise. In fact, the Oscar-winning director of The Godfather called it “amazing.” Read the full quote below:

“I liked ‘Deadpool,’ I thought that was amazing … Cinema is supposed to illuminate contemporary life and make us understand what’s going on. So, we need the artists to give us a vision of what’s going on.”

Deadpool receiving such high praise from an auteur like Coppola is likely surprising to many. Three years ago, Martin Scorsese referred to Marvel films as “theme park rides,” arguing that they take attention and opportunities away from smaller films. This began a trend of filmmakers outside the genre being asked about and sharing their criticisms of comic book movies. Because of their tendency to negate risk and be largely formulaic for commercial appeal and financial gain, Coppola once used the word “despicable” to describe comic book movies. That said, it’s understandable that Coppola made an exception for Deadpool; an R-rated extravaganza that largely broke the standard superhero/comic book movie formula and surprised audiences with the extremity of its language, violence and sex.

Adhering to the hero’s journey narrative, propelled by massive budgets and CGI, certain films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and elsewhere could be considered formulaic. Prior to the telling success of HBO Max’s Peacemaker, writer/director James Gunn said filmmakers need to innovate and subvert expectations to keep the superhero genre from becoming “boring.” Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are certainly examples of this type of innovation, and the same can be said for films like Matt Reeves’ The Batman; a noir thriller comparable to David Fincher’s Se7en. As the MCU continues to recruit a diverse range of creative filmmakers for projects like Disney+’s Moon Knight, Deadpool 3‘s release date remains on the horizon. The film is expected to be Disney/Marvel Studios’ first R-rated film. While a release date has yet to be set, it’s amusing to think even Coppola might consider buying a ticket.

Source: Variety

Key Release Dates
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  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
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Josh Plainse
(951 Articles Published)

Josh Plainse is a writer, movie, and television fanatic based out of Wisconsin. Josh works for Screen Rant covering the latest in entertainment while simultaneously pursuing the never-ending dream of becoming an established novelist, screenwriter, and/or decent human being. Josh would accredit characters such as Goku, Han Solo, Simba, and Maximus Decimus Meridius for instilling within him an affinity for storytelling. It is this incessant obsession which has propelled him to seek opportunities that inform, entertain, and inspire others.

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