The 33 year old star of The Proposal sat down for an interview today with MTV to discuss the past year of his life, including the two big budget superhero movies he has signed on to star in: The Green Lantern and X-Men Origins: Wolverine spin-off Deadpool.
Speaking about The Green Lantern, which is the first of the two films to go into production, Reynolds said:
“I’ve known about “Green Lantern” my whole life, but I’ve never really followed it before. I fell in love with the character when I met with [director] Martin Campbell. When I sat down with him, I really got what it is that this guy is all about. When you have a guy like Martin Campbell, part of his charm is that he has ba–s of titanium, and the other part is that he’s slightly crazy, and you have to be to take on something with the scope of “Green Lantern.” He’s less of the director and more of a general. He just really knows strategies, he knows the intricacies, and his attention to detail! It’s infectious. I sat down with him, and I could not even believe what he was saying. When I went to the meeting, I was entirely cynical. I thought, “What the hell, I’ll see what they have to say,” and I left the room with a completely different perspective.”
When asked about the highlight of his big year, Ryan responded:
“I think, seeing the prototypes for the Green Lantern costumes was a huge moment. It was a moment when I was like, “This is happening, and it’s happening in the right way.” That’s a pretty cool, definitive moment for me.”
And regarding the proposed Deadpool spin-off:
“I’ve been in so many meetings lately about “Deadpool” and meeting all these writers. Everyone is always looking for that one line, “What is that character?” and for me it’s kind of like, “There’s a guy, and he’s in a highly militarized comedic fame spiral.” That’s not an easy thing to write — an entire screenplay, let alone a franchise.”
I’ve been somewhat of a Ryan Reynolds fan since watching him on TV over a decade ago in Two Guys and a Girl, and it was inevitable that his onscreen charisma would lead him to eventually become a star in cult comedies and Hollywood blockbusters. However, even as a fan who has seen his best comedic and dramatic performances and knows what he is capable of, I don’t like the idea of him being in two separate comic book films as the lead character, especially when those film will be released within a fairly short time-span of one another.
In my opinion, Reynolds playing The Green Lantern and Deadpool will be the equivalent of seeing Hugh Jackman playing Superman or Christian Bale playing Captain America. It just doesn’t work, regardless of whether the characters wear masks or not. To make matters even stranger, Reynolds has previously played Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity and has been the front-runner (no pun intended) to play the lead role in the big screen adaptation of The Flash, which Reynolds himself confirmed.
Many believe that the reason Reynolds has signed on to play two major comic book characters is simply studio rivalry. The rumor is that executives at Warner Bros. (DC’s parent company) wanted to cast him as The Green Lantern in order to tamper with 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool schedule. A strategic move from a studio perspective perhaps, but one that is sure to have fans up in arms when the films are released.
You can read the full interview with Ryan Reynolds over at MTV.
