Ryan Reynolds recently took to social media to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Deadpool. While the film was released in 2016, its production officially began in 2015 after spending years in development hell. At the time of its release, Deadpool became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever.

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Early attempts to bring Deadpool to life

Rumours of a Deadpool movie started circulating in the early 2000s. Reynolds, a longtime fan of the character, was first attached to a Deadpool film in 2004, with a script by David S. Goyer. However, the project fell apart. In 2005, 20th Century Fox showed interest in making the film, but it never progressed beyond the boardroom.

Reynolds finally got the chance to play the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), but the heavily altered version of Deadpool was widely criticised by fans and Reynolds himself.

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The long road to production

By 2010, discussions of a proper Deadpool film resurfaced, with Reynolds still attached and Tim Miller brought on as director in 2011. However, after Reynolds’ Green Lantern movie flopped in 2011, Fox hesitated to move forward. Test footage was shot in 2012, but Fox ultimately passed on the project due to its R-rated script.

That might have been the end of Deadpool, but in 2014, someone leaked the test footage online. The viral response and overwhelming fan support, including multiple petitions, led to Fox finally greenlighting the movie. Production officially began in 2015.

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Box office success and legacy

The first Deadpool film was released in February 2016 and was met with critical acclaim. It grossed $782 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time. This success led to two sequels: Deadpool 2 in 2018, which earned $785.9 million, and Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024, which grossed an impressive $1.3 billion.

Rumours suggest that Deadpool may make a cameo in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

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