Deadpool & Wolverine Director Reveals The ‘Dirty Line Of Dialogue’ That Didn’t Make The Final Cut
Deadpool & Wolverine proved that Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, aka Merc With a Mouth, is one of the foulest speaking characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film featured several jokes on celebrities and issues that could have caused a stir. Although none of the jokes became scandalous, gags on Hugh Jackman’s divorce, Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez), and even the franchise’s godfather Kevin Feige were a bold choice from the creators.
Director, writer, and producer Shawn Levy revealed that they were given free rein to go down and dirty with their jokes, which they did. However, there was one joke that was objected to and removed from the final cut.
“The general rule is to never punch down and to only take the piss out of people who can take it,” Levy told Entertainment Weekly. He revealed that the joke was about Hugh, which the actor took with a pinch of salt and laughed “uproariously,” but it had to be removed.
Levy did not reveal the original joke he and Reynolds had decided to take to their graves. However, he did reveal that the line was replaced with an “equally dirty line of dialogue” about Pinocchio shoving his face up Deadpool’s ass and starting to lie like crazy.
This replacement was suggested by none other than Reynolds himself! “I was like, ‘Ryan, that’s your replacement line in response to, ‘Can we clean it up?’ That’s Ryan Reynolds for you, audacious to the very edge,” Levy added.
It’s no coincidence that the Red Notice actor’s humor was strikingly similar to that of his character, Deadpool. That’s because Reynolds was involved in the creative process not just as a producer but also as a writer.
Levy worked on the script with Reynolds and brought Deadpool to life since the first-ever film of the character. Disney and Feige gave them “creative autonomy,” which helped them craft their final product. Before stepping into the MCU world as a director, Levy was obvious in the filmmaking process for superhero franchises.
On the contrary, he had heard that directors don’t get much creative freedom, which induced apprehensions within Levy before helming the project. “But this movie — it’s by far the biggest movie I’ve ever made — it may very well be the most creative autonomy I’ve ever had,” he added.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.
