How Budget Limitations Helped ‘Deadpool’ And Gave Us Gina Carano
By Jack Giroux/Feb. 9, 2016 6:30 am EST
While I was interviewing Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, it became clear the budget restraints are actually the reason why audiences are seeing a genuine Deadpool movie in theaters this weekend. Read what they had to say below.
In contrast to the big boys, this Marvel character didn’t need a budget more than $100 million. But just because this project costs half the price of some of the biggest superhero pics doesn’t mean it can’t compete with the massive scale we’re accustomed to. Miller’s action is lean and mean, with an emphasis on character and story.
If Deadpool cost as much as X-Men: Apocalypse, we would’ve gotten a tame, PG-13 movie. To make this version of the film, though, screenwriters Reese and Wernick had to get clever with some story elements and characters, including Ajax’s right-hand woman, Angel Dust. Played by Gina Carano, she makes for an imposing, near-silent villainous presence. However, Angel Dust originally didn’t exist in the comic book adaptation, but was later included as a cost-cutting measure. Here’s what Reese told us:
Deadpool is a superhero with a lot of interior and walk-and-talk scenes, and yet it’s still very exciting to watch unfold. Wernick had this to add:
The budget certainly was [a good challenge]. The sad thing is, there was even more fun stuff that didn’t make it due to budget, but that’s life. There’s not a single Hollywood movie that’s ever been filmed where the filmmakers didn’t make the budget. For instance, we had three subordinate villains under Ajax, and we ultimately had to combine those villains into one — Angel Dust. In Angel Dust, I think we found this amazing physicality in Gina Carano. She crushes it. I don’t think we’d trade her battle with Colossus for any of those characters. Sometimes the budget means you have to make a new choice, and you fall in love with the new choice.
Because the filmmakers didn’t have to meet certain demands for a huge action movie, they were afforded time to focus on character. Clearly, based on what the screenwriters told us, the project benefited from these budget restrictions. Carano is a fun and threatening foe in the film, and her fight with Colossus is far more enjoyable than a CG city falling to pieces.
Deadpool opens in theaters February 12th.Check back soon for our full interview with Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick.
