TORONTO – Canadian Ryan Reynolds says he’s “hugely passionate” about his upcoming movie based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool.
The Vancouver native played Deadpool – a quippy mutant antihero who wields two swords – in this summer’s blockbuster “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” and confirmed in an interview that he was looking forward to starring in a spinoff centred on the character.
“I never like to say I’m doing a movie until I break for lunch on the first day, but it’s something I’m hugely passionate about,” Reynolds said while in Toronto to promote his upcoming romantic comedy, “The Proposal,” in which he stars opposite Sandra Bullock.
“I feel that the powers that be are equally enthusiastic.”
In “Wolverine,” Reynolds’ character begins as a wise-cracking mercenary and ends horribly disfigured – and mute – after he’s the subject of a series of experiments that give him a multitude of superpowers.
In the comics – which were popular for a black humour that occasionally veered into slapstick – Deadpool initially submits to the experiments because he’s stricken with cancer.
Without giving away any potential plot points, Reynolds said he hoped the film would stay faithful to its source material.
“I hope to see it closely mirror the comic books, more than anything,” he said. “There are infinite possibilities with that character. There’s no one else like him in the comic book universe.
“There are a lot of different villains to choose from and a lot of different characters that come in and out of Deadpool’s universe.”
