A Deadpool Christmas Movie Was Written But Got 'Lost In The Shuffle' Of Disney Buying Fox
Before streaming, cable television never let us down on delivering seasonally themed content. Back when we'd watch an episode a week for a season spanning several months, it was common for sitcoms or other shows to shift gears in the latter part of the calendar year to a string of holiday specials. Under the binge model that dominated early streaming, however, it felt to me like we lost this tradition for a while, as showrunners could not as easily plan for the holidays if the audience was watching entire seasons in a weekend.
When I was growing up, the Walt Disney Company was a strong contributor to the holiday spirit in my home through original movies and special episodes on Disney Channel or through ABC Family's (now Freeform's) "25 Days of Christmas" and "13 Nights of Halloween" extended movie marathons. But even Disney has needed time to realign its holiday content strategy as it's built out Disney Plus.
This fall, we saw the fruits of its labor when the platform came out swinging with Halloween hits like "Hocus Pocus 2" and Marvel Studios' "Werewolf By Night." The much-anticipated "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" too is releasing imminently on November 25 and will see James Gunn back in a Marvel director's chair for the first time since he was fired and brought back in 2019.
With Disney eagerly churning out seasonal content for its streaming empire, the studio may be regretting that, according to Ryan Reynolds, it allowed a Deadpool Christmas script to be scrapped from the production schedule.
Teasing Deadpool 4?
As someone who rose to stardom in the romantic-comedy genre that is so often tied to the holidays, Ryan Reynolds can appreciate a festive film. Though its legacy may sadly have more to do with fat shaming, 2005's "Just Friends" gave Reynolds a chance to star opposite Amy Smart in his first Christmas movie. Then, in another expression of love for the yuletide, Reynolds shepherded the 2018 "Once Upon a Deadpool" re-release of "Deadpool 2" with a softer PG-13 rating and a bookend narration of Wade Wilson reading to a fully grown Fred Savage. Earlier this month, Reynolds returned to form as a proto-Scrooge in the Apple TV+ musical comedy "Spirited" — the latest in a series of too many "A Christmas Carol" remakes.
Now, Reynolds, who loves taking his family to "The Nutcracker" ballet at New York's Lincoln Center, admitted in a recent interview with The Big Issue:
"I would love to see a song and dance number in a 'Deadpool' movie. Four years ago, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and I wrote a Christmas movie starring Deadpool. But it got lost in the shuffle of Disney acquiring Fox and it never got made ... Maybe one day we'll get to make that movie. It's not a musical, but it's a full 'Deadpool' Christmas movie. So one day."
The prospect of a feature-length "Deadpool" Christmas movie getting made, especially with a wide release in theaters, might be ambitious at a time when Disney is more inclined towards TV shows and direct-to-streaming releases. But we'd argue the recent addition of Hugh Jackman to the cast of the third film inspires confidence it will solidify Deadpool as a box-office superstar under Disney's new ownership. And as long as the holidays come every year, Disney Plus should at least have some openings in its slate of seasonal specials.