Ryan Reynolds Pitched A Star Wars Movie To Disney (With A Twist)

It turns out that Ryan Reynolds, the man who made "Deadpool" into a multi-billion-dollar franchise for Marvel, once pitched a "Star Wars" movie to Disney. Reynolds helped make R-rated superheroes as popular as anything in all of pop culture with the first "Deadpool" film in 2016, which allowed for some reinvention within the genre. It seems he had a similar idea in mind when it came to a galaxy far, far away.

On the most recent episode of "The Box Office Podcast," host Scott Mendelson had an hour-long sit-down conversation with Reynolds that wasn't explicitly tied to the promotion of any project. So, during the freeform chat, they got to talking about R-rated genre fare, which is when Reynolds revealed that he actually pitched an R-rated "Star Wars" movie to Disney ... though, perhaps not along the lines of what one might expect. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I pitched to Disney I said, 'Why don't we do an R-rated 'Star Wars' property? It doesn't have to be overt, A+ characters, there's a wide range of characters you could use.' And I don't mean R-rated to be vulgar, R-rated as a Trojan Horse for emotion. I always wonder why studios don't want to just gamble on something like that."

While the character of Deadpool is inherently vulgar and violent, that's not what "Star Wars" is. R-rated doesn't mean just one thing. While the actor, writer, and producer didn't go into specifics for his pitch, he made it clear that he hadn't simply pitched "'Deadpool,' but make it 'Star Wars.'" The likelihood of Disney making any R-rated "Star Wars" movies remains very low, but if anyone could get the studio to at least consider it, Reynolds is probably the guy.

Part of why Reynolds' pitch is so interesting is because Shawn Levy is currently directing the film "Star Wars: Starfighter," with Ryan Gosling set to star. Levy has collaborated with Reynolds multiple times already, including on Netflix's "The Adam Project" and, most notably, 2024's smash hit "Deadpool & Wolverine." Yet, Levy isn't making his foray into the franchise with Reynolds, and the director seemingly isn't making use of this R-rated pitch. Even more interesting? Reynolds didn't see himself as the star of this proposed movie. As he explained:

"I'm not saying I'd want to be in it. That would be a bad fit. I'd want to produce and write or be a part behind the scenes. Those kinds of IP exist very well on scarcity and surprise. We don't get scarcity really with 'Star Wars' because of Disney+, but you can certainly still surprise people."

Whether or not it needs to be R-rated, Reynolds does seem to be tapping into something here. It's a big galaxy that, for better or worse, is sometimes made to feel small, with the "Star Wars" franchise regularly bringing back familiar characters in familiar locations. The fact that it is such a huge galaxy could allow for the right creator to take a bold, creative swing like this.

Whether or not Disney has any interest? Reynolds didn't indicate either way, but he's currently busy developing a possible "X-Men" project for Marvel Studios right now anyhow. Beyond that, the "Star Wars" deck is fully stacked, with "The Mandalorian and Grogu" set to hit theaters next year, followed by "Starfighter" in 2027. Daisy Ridley is also set to return as Rey in an untitled "Star Wars" movie, with several other big screen projects in development as well.

"The Mandalorian and Grogu" will soar into theaters on May 22, 2026.