After its release last February, Deadpool took off like shot at the box office and never looked back. Director Tim Miller and producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Apocalypse) slow-boiled their Merc with a Mouth plotline for years before creating a well-seasoned blend of superhero action, heart, and humor. With Deadpool 2 now officially moving forward, the franchise is looking to build upon its success by adding new characters and more outrageous storylines.
Already, the rumor mill is churning about which stories Deadpool 2 could feature, and of course, how Cable will fit in. And there’s one frequent Deadpool co-conspirator who both Miller and Kinberg would love to see cross-over, Spider-Man. However, they both worry that the studios behind these respective comic book franchises aren’t prepared for such a collaboration.
In a recent chat with CBR, Miller and Kinberg discuss the shocking success of Deadpool and their plans for the future – including Miller’s interest in a “Deadpool kills the Marvel Universe” story. The raunchy X-related film certainly has changed the playing field across the superhero world. Kinberg says their R-rated successes have opened up studios to new ideas, making it easier to make movies like Deadpool or a more-adult Wolverine 3. But while Miller himself is down for a Spider-Man meets Deadpool picture, he feels the studios “are not ready for it.” Kinberg is also all about it, and would love to discuss an exchange of characters with Disney:
It’s a shame that Kinberg and Miller feel that “corporate inertia” would get in the way of a possible crossover. As fans, though, they’re still hopeful, recalling the glory days of comic book crossover events. Miller says:
“Tim and I talked about it quite a bit. We grew up on comics that did it all the time, quite freely. Not just within the Marvel Universe, but outside the Marvel Universe. So it’d be rad to see it. Those decisions are made by people at a much higher part of the food chain than Tim and I – we just go execute it…we certainly each have a really good relationship with Kevin Feige. Maybe one day there’s a sit-down, ‘Godfather’-style dinner where we could broker a deal. It’d be cool.”
“As a fan, you just want to go, ‘F*** man! Why can’t I see that?’ Because that’s what I got in comic books. What’s more, they had DC/Marvel crossover events that were just stupendous. On a creative level, you just want to say that comic books is just a huge world. I read Marvel, and I read DC, and I read Image, and I read small independent publishers. I’ve got a “Goon” comic book from Dark Horse. I love all of that stuff. To me, it’s all one big world.”
Although the idea of a Deadpool/Spider-Man crossover seems highly unlikely now, it’s not impossible. The concept of Spider-Man joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed remote several years ago. And with rumors that the Fantastic Four will become part of the MCU sooner than later, as well as two friendlies producing Fox’s X-Men film franchise and the MCU, anything is theoretically possible. Even if we won’t be watching Deadpool and Spidey collaborate in Deadpool 2, perhaps, much like Spider-Man’s return, further good will between studio heads (at least among Marvel’s branches) could result in more exciting inter-studio events.
In the long run, though, the decision regarding major inter-studio crossovers is up to even bigger fish than Feige, Kinberg, and Miller. But if films like Deadpool keep pushing boundaries, and studio heads smell profit, perhaps more once-unlikely ideas (like Spider-Man joining the MCU) could happen.
Deadpool will be released on Blu-ray on May 10, 2016. X-Men: Apocalypse opens in theaters May 27th, 2016, followed by Wolverine 3 on March 3rd, 2017, and unannounced X-Men films on October 6th, 2017 (possibly Gambit), January 12th, 2018 (possibly Deadpool 2), and July 13th, 2018. The New Mutants is also in development.
Source: CBR