With only a little more than a month until the PG-13 version of “Deadpool 2” hits theaters, we finally have news about what fans can expect with this new version, and more importantly, what the hell the re-edit of the sequel will be called.
According to Deadline, December 12 until Christmas Eve, fans will get a chance to watch the PG-13 version of “Deadpool 2,” titled “Once Upon a Deadpool,” on the big screen. However, this is far from you standard re-issue of a film. Not only will “Once Upon a Deadpool” feature the PG-13 cut of the sequel, but it’s been confirmed that the film will also feature a framing device by way of Deadpool and Fred Savage, harkening back to Savage’s film “The Princess Bride.”
The report says that eight scenes were filmed over the course of one day that will be added to the already-edited “Deadpool 2.” All told, “Once Upon a Deadpool” will clock in only 3 minutes shorter than the run-time of “Deadpool 2.”
“Fox has been asking for a PG-13 basically since the start in 2006,” star Ryan Reynolds said. “I’ve said no since 2006. Now, this one time, I said ‘Yes’ on two conditions. First, a portion of the proceeds had to go to charity. Second, I wanted to kidnap Fred Savage. The second condition took some explaining…”
As for what Savage had to say about being “kidnapped” by Reynolds, he replied, “While my participation in this film was anything but voluntary. I am happy to learn that Fudge Cancer will be the beneficiary of this shameless cash grab.”
Both actors also referenced the second part of this announcement, which includes a philanthropic angle to the re-release. According to the report, a portion of each ticket purchase will benefit the charity Fuck Cancer, which will go PG-13 itself, calling the charity Fudge Cancer during this period.
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“Because it’s the season of giving, we will also be giving $1 for every ticket sold to Fuck Cancer, which will be renamed Fudge Cancer just for this limited time and campaign,” explained Reynolds.
Now a lot has already been written about why Fox is moving forward with “Once Upon a Deadpool.” The first obvious reason is that the studio had an opening in its release schedule after “Alita: Battle Angel” moved from its December 21 date to early 2019. The other reasons were far more speculative, but perhaps more accurate.
Despite the charitable donation and the funny quotes from Reynolds and Savage, it appears that Fox seems to gain quite a bit from “Once Upon a Deadpool.” First, a PG-13 version of the film, as Deadline points out, would be something that could be shown in theaters in China, which has turned down the previous two “Deadpool” films, which means that there could be a huge payday in the future.
In addition, as we’ve speculated in the past, Disney is about to put the finishing touches on its purchase of Fox and has never made an R-rated superhero film previously. Perhaps, “Once Upon a Deadpool” will give them a litmus test on how well the foul-mouthed superhero can translate to the kid-friendly rating. This would go a long way towards figuring out how to add Reynolds’ character to the MCU, if Disney is interested in doing that.
Will the experiment pay off? We’ll find out December 12, when “Once Upon a Deadpool” begins its two-week run in theaters.