Ryan Reynolds Calls Deadpool Test Footage Leaker an "Absolute Bastard"

It's no secret that when Ryan Reynolds was introduced as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine back in 2008, the hope was that the character could get his own adventure at some point in the future, though the film's underwhelming performance with critics and audiences prevented that project from gaining momentum. Ultimately, it would be test footage Reynolds developed for a possible spinoff that gained traction on the internet and led towards 2016's Deadpool, with Reynolds joking about the person who leaked the footage being an "absolute bastard." A third Deadpool film is said to be moving forward at 20th Century Studios.

"I spent 10 years trying to get the film Deadpool made -- it was hell," Reynolds shared at the Cannes Lions advertising event in France, per Deadline. "We shot some test footage, some absolute bastard leaked it onto the internet, and that's what got the movie made."

Almost eight years after the footage leaked, there's still no confirmation on who leaked the footage, yet one of the major suspects is Reynolds himself. 

While both Deadpool films proved to be massive financial successes, Reynolds reflected on the challenges he faced on the first film, with those struggles ultimately being the key to what made the movie work.

"The studio [20th Century Fox] never really believed in it so they gave us absolutely nothing compared with other comic movies. We had to make every dollar feel like ten," the actor recalled. "As we did this, I was learning lessons left, right, and center. We started to really know and play with the cultural landscape of the character. During the movie, we replaced spectacle with character and I saw that it worked just as well."

Part of the films' successes is that they fully embrace the character's R-rated tone, but when The Walt Disney Company purchased 20th Century Fox and the rights to the character, some audiences were nervous that the more mature elements of the character would be toned down. Writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, however, noted that their script for Deadpool 3 will continue to push tonal boundaries.

"Oh, absolutely," Reese confirmed to The Playlist earlier this month of the film's R rating. "They're not gonna mess with the tone. I mean, I'd never say never, I guess there's an outside chance, but we've always been told it can be R, and we're proceeding as if it's R. We would like it to be R, we always have, so I don't think that'll change."

Stay tuned for details on the Deadpool franchise.

What did you think of the test footage? Let us know in the comments!