Screenwriter Rhett Reese on Zombieland 2 and Deadpool
Posted 11.05.10 by BrentJS
Despite the fact that Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer said that he had read a completed draft of the script for Zombieland 2 nearly two months ago, screenwriter Rhett Reese recently told io9 that he and co-writer Paul Wernick are still hammering away on the script. Reese revealed that
Zombieland 2 will include all four principal characters from the original movie, though he admitted that none of the actors have seen the script yet or officially signed on to the movie. Reese also discussed the challenges of making a "warped" character like Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, a palatable protagonist in the script for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine spin-off movie, Deadpool, that he is also writing with Wernick.
Reese said that the goal of Zombieland 2 (Z2), as with most sequels, is to take the core concept of the original movie and make it bigger and that one of the ways to do that is to release it in 3D.
In some cases, 3D is just a gimmick, but in a movie like Zombieland, there are plenty of opportunities to use it in fun and creative ways... we're making Z2 a bigger movie. Everything will happen on a grander scale!
As far as the script for Deadpool goes, Reese said that he and Wernick have turned in two drafts so far and that they are waiting on the announcement of a director to proceed. Reese said that Deadpool will explore the events that shaped the "Merc with a Mouth" into such an interesting anti-hero.
Ultimately, I think despite how fun he is in the now, we really did want to explore how he became that way and why he became that way, we definitely delve into that. He's a warped character, and that's why he's so fun to write. Various writers have tackled him and I think that particular club of people have always enjoyed being able to just go places with a character that you wouldn't be able to go with any other character. Because he's completely crazy. That's the joy of writing him. You don't have to place any limits on decorum, or what might pop into his head, what reference he might make to pop culture. He'll go anywhere and say anything and that's the joy of writing him. So we really enjoy that but we also did enjoy exploring a little bit of his origin.
Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool in Origins, has been one of the guiding forces behind the push for a spin-off movie for the character. Comic book fans were extremely disappointed with the altered look of Deadpool in Origins and the fact that he never donned the characteristic red-and-black costume, but Reese said that Reynolds will wear the suit in Deadpool, if for only a portion of the movie.
I think there's a good balance in the movie of seeing Wade Wilson pre-Deadpool and seeing his scarred face post-becoming Deadpool and having the mask on—which is how most comic fans envision Deadpool, is with the mask on.