Ryan Reynolds has never shied away from poking fun at his own career and the decisions he’s made when selecting roles, with the Deadpool films often including self-deprecating references to the actor’s personal life. In the trailer for Deadpool 2, Van Wilder fans were treated to direct nods to one specific scene in the film featuring a reference to the band Air Supply.
As the trailer opens, Deadpool is being pursued by thugs when he jumps into Dopinder’s (Karan Soni) taxi, interrupting his emotional singing of Air Supply’s “All Out of Love.” At one point in Van Wilder, the titular character copes with an emotional confrontation by playing the popular tune on an acoustic guitar. In the scene, Reynolds’ character also makes a mention of getting hit by a “big metaphorical truck,” while in the trailer, Deadpool is hit by a big literal truck. You can check out the clip from the film below.
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In the sequel, “After surviving a near-fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.”
Released in 2002, Van Wilder was one of Reynolds’ first major starring roles in a feature film, having previously starred in the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. The film featured Reynolds as the lead character who attended college for seven years, not wanting to graduate and leave the parties behind, instead focusing on helping undergrads uncover the true meaning of college.
Reynolds’ first comic book role was in Blade: Trinity, before graduating to his first foray as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and then Green Lantern. Both of these comic book projects were referenced in the first Deadpool, so it only makes sense for even more of the actor’s roles to be referenced in the new film.
Deadpool 2 opens in theaters on May 18.
Other upcoming X-Men movies include X-Men: Dark Phoenix on November 1st, The New Mutants on February 22, 2019, and Gambit on June 7, 2019.
Did you pick up on the Van Wilder reference right away? Let us know in the comments below!