Even with an R-rated “Deadpool” franchise that features two films that have enough blood and curse words to fill a dozen others, it would appear that Marvel/Disney are still a little apprehensive about having their Merc with a Mouth being the over-the-top character that fans know and love. At least that’s how FX CEO John Landgraf explains it, when the boss recently gave the reasons as to why the network shelved an animated “Deadpool” series.
Speaking at a TCA event, the FX boss was asked what the reasons were for the network to dump an animated series written and show-run by Donald and Stephen Glover (the minds behind “Atlanta”). His response puts the entire blame on the folks at Marvel.
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“’Deadpool’ didn’t work out because Marvel didn’t want to make it,” Landgraf said (via ComicBook.com). “It didn’t fit what they wanted to do with Deadpool and it’s their brand and their decision.”
He continued, “They didn’t want to do the show that Donald and Stephen [Glover] wrote. We would have done the show that Donald and Stephen wrote, but it wasn’t our decision. When Marvel decided not to do that show, we parted company with them, as did Donald and Stephen.”
Now, you may be thinking, “Well, that doesn’t make much sense, considering the popularity of the R-rated films.” However, when it comes to animated productions, the ownership of Deadpool actually rests with Disney/Marvel, due to the licensing agreement with Fox. The rival studio (and soon to be Disney subsidiary) only controls the live-action iterations of the characters.
READ MORE: Rob Liefeld Says Marvel Will Still Make A ‘Deadpool’ Animated Series
That means, when FX wanted to work on the animated series with Marvel, the folks at the mothership, aka Disney, probably got cold feet when they found out what direction the Glovers were taking the project.
So, while the possibility of a “Deadpool” animated series is far from dead, it would appear that fans’ hopes for a very R-rated, adult-oriented series might be out of luck.