Ryan Reynolds Praises Ousted 20th Century Exec for Helping Make Deadpool Happen

Earlier today it was revealed that long-time 20th Century Fox executive Emma Watts had made the [...]

By Spencer Perry

Earlier today it was revealed that long-time 20th Century Fox executive Emma Watts had made the decision to depart the company in the coming weeks. Watts' decision came after considering staying with 20th Century following its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. Since 2017 Watts has served as Vice Chairman of the studio and has worked as the president of production for them even longer. Following the announcement of her departure, Deadpool himself Ryan Reynolds took to Twitter to pay tribute to her and all that she was able to do at the studio, which included making sure that Deadpool saw the light of day.

"Deadpool would never have happened without Emma Watts," Reynolds wrote. "And certainly wouldn't have been as good. I hope to continue working with her wherever she decides to go."

It was reported four weeks ago that Watts and the studio machine at 20th Century had relinquished control of the Deadpool, X-Men, and Fantastic Four franchises to Marvel Studios as part of the merger between the studios. Watts remains onboard as producer on Reynolds' Shawn Levy-directed action summer comedy Free Guy, to be distributed by Disney under the 20th Century label, as well as James Cameron's multiple Avatar sequels, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story and Ridley Scott's The Last Duel.

"I started at Fox 22 years ago," Watts wrote in her departure notice (via THR). "Titanic was in theaters, George Lucas had just announced his second Star Wars trilogy, and X-Men was in development. I was a young creative executive eager to learn the business, and from day one I was welcomed. Who knew that together we would add Night at the Museum, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Martian, Deadpool, Logan, Steven Spielberg's upcoming West Side Story and, of course, Jim Cameron's Avatar to the studio's already storied legacy. It was a front-row seat to an incredible evolution culminating in Fox becoming a part of one of the greatest media companies that continues to shape our industry on a global scale."

As for Reynolds' time as the Merc with a mouth, it's unclear when he will next suit up again for the big screen, though the actor previously revealed that the third Deadpool movie is in development with Marvel Studios with "the whole team" developing the sequel.

"Yeah we're working on it right now with the whole team," Reynolds said on Christmas Eve. "We're over at Marvel [Studios] now, which is like the big leagues all of a sudden. It's kinda crazy. So yeah, we're working on it."

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Disney would find some way to make more Deadpool movies, regardless of how they fit or didn't fit with the MCU. Until Joker arrived this year, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 were the highest grossing R-rated movies in box office history, each making more than $780 million around the globe. There's no way Disney would ever pass up on that kind of mass appeal.

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