Ryan Reynolds’ career before Deadpool was that of a talented actor, but he hadn’t yet achieved Hollywood A-list status. That turning point came with Deadpool. Iron Man with its debut in 2008 had already shown the industry the immense potential of a superhero franchise, and Reynolds understood that he needed to secure such a role to elevate his career to that level.
So when the opportunity for Green Lantern arose, although not as invested at first, in the end, he actively pursued it, even going so far as to beg for the role. However, little did he know, it would have the opposite effect on his career trajectory. Despite Green Lantern not meeting expectations, fans are grateful that it nudged Reynolds to have his moment eventually.
Ryan Reynolds’ Desperate Bid for Green Lantern, A Career Move That Almost Ended It All!
The 2011 Green Lantern film is without a doubt seen as a misstep in the superhero genre, one many would prefer to erase from memory. Yet, it’s impossible to overlook considering just how massive a train wreck of an event it was.
In a 2010 interview with Slash Films, Ryan Reynolds shared how the opportunity fell into his lap, and he felt ran to seize it. He revealed,
I met Martin [Campbell] like I was meeting on any other movie.They were casting the Green Lantern and I knew that I had already kind of dipped my toe in the comic book world a little bit. I mean, years ago, I played in Blade: Trinity and I had four minutes of Deadpool. So I wasn’t sure if this would be the right fit or anything like that. I had 3 meetings with him total. At first, they were kind of trying to convince me and then by the end I was begging them for the role.
He further revealed,
They took me up to the art department and I met [production designer] Grant Major, [costume designer] Ngila Dickson, and [cinematographer] Dion Beebe was there. I saw the artwork and that was it. Seeing that world and seeing the possibility there.You don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse, but if this were to work you do another movie. Barring that, you do another one after that. Then, you can see this going well beyond Hal Jordan and into the other Green Lanterns.
Despite having only a brief stint as Deadpool at that point, Reynolds sensed the potential of the superhero genre. However, Green Lantern‘s box office failure was a significant setback. Yet, even in that disappointment, Reynolds recognized a silver lining. It may not have propelled him to the stardom he envisioned, but it did lead him to his future wife and the beginning of a power couple the internet now adores.
How Deadpool Saved Ryan Reynolds’ Hollywood Career?
It’s quite funny to consider how a terminally ill superhero ended up saving Ryan Reynolds’ career. But it’s precisely this blend of cheeky and edgy humor that pushed Deadpool into the hearts of fans. The journey to bring Deadpool to the big screen was a long and bumpy one.
It all started way back in 2004 when the idea was first floated, but it seemed like the project was doomed after the lukewarm reception to Reynolds’ cameo in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Then, in the summer of 2014, everything changed with a Twitter (now known as X) storm. When leaked footage of Reynolds as Deadpool surfaced online, instead of sparking negativity, it ignited a wildfire of excitement among comic book fans. In just 24 hours, the project that had been shelved for a decade was back on track, thanks to the buzz generated. And the rest, as they say, is history.
If Deadpool hadn’t come to the rescue, the career of the former rom-com hero could have potentially hit a dead end, making it tough to bounce back. Cut to a decade later, people are now gearing up for the long-awaited release of Deadpool & Wolverine, which is said to become one of the biggest movies of the year, and it’s absolutely Ryan Reynolds’ moment to shine.
Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on the 26th of July.
