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With screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie penning a Japan-based script for Wolverine 2, MTV spoke with Liev Schreiber about whether or not he would appear in the sequel.
Hugh [Jackman] has talked about the fact that he wants to work on the Japanese angle. I've got my fingers crossed that Victor pops into that somewhere. I'm not sure yet. I don't remember from the comic books [if he's in there].
Schreiber admitted that he is big fan of comic books, long before he appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
I was definitely a Wolverine guy growing up. But I also have to admit I was kind of a DC guy. It's sort of an embarrassing thing to say but its true. Wolverine was up there though. I liked the dark noir nature to it. I had a ball with it. My guilty pleasure is I watch wacky action movies. I'm looking forward to Iron Man 2. I'm always looking forward to the next installation of Batman.
With Jackman shooting Real Steel next, Wolverine 2 is eying a summer 2012 release.
Posted 02.28.10 by Ryan -
In much the same way that Hugh Jackman was the driving force behind his X-Men solo project, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds is very much the point man for his own X-Men spin-off, Deadpool. Back in November, Reynolds described the movie as a "passion project" for him, and said that it feels "incredibly validating and gratifying" to "manifest something that you desperately want."
Despite the fact that he is gearing up to star in another of his passion projects, the DC Comics adaptation Green Lantern, Reynolds told MTV that he is in touch with the Deadpool writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick "every single day." Wernick confirmed Reynolds' statement in a recent interview with MTV and added that he and his Zombieland writing partner are perfect fits for Deadpool.
We just absolutely adore the character and the comic. And tonally, it's right up our alley. He's the unstable, smart-ass, self deprecating guy — and they say write what you know, so [we're perfect for it].
We're very excited for Deadpool, and have been developing it on a near-daily basis with Ryan Reynolds, who is just awesome. It's such a collaborative process, with someone who's so smart and passionate; it's just been a true pleasure.
Reese praised the actor's commitment to the project, calling him the "keeper of the Deadpool flame," and admitted that Reynolds knows the character much better than they do.
[Ryan] lives it and breathes it. We're a little newer to Deadpool, although we've done a bit of catching up. One of the nice things about working with Ryan is that he tonally gets it — if we ever do something that is off the Deadpool path, or if it doesn't feel like Deadpool, he catches it.
Though it's is still only in the very early stages, with no director attached and Reynolds the only star on board, Reese said that Deadpool is going to shake up the superhero genre.
It's not going to be your father's superhero movie, or even your older brother's superhero movie. It's definitely going to be irreverent and fun, and we owe a lot to that character, because it's a wonderful character.
Posted 02.09.10 by BrentJS -
Actor Ryan Reynolds is calling 2009 the "most unbelievable year" of his life. In addition to running a marathon and marrying superstar actress Scarlett Johansson, Reynolds is preparing to make movie history by starring as two iconic characters from competing comic book companies: DC Comics' Hal Jordan/Green Lantern and Marvel Comics' Wade Wilson/Deadpool.
In a recent interview with MTV, Reynolds said that landing both roles was especially gratifying because he had pursued them passionately.
It's incredibly validating and gratifying when you can see that you can manifest something that you desperately want or a goal that you have. This is a difficult industry to get anything made, let alone a passion project, so when you see people understand what your vision is and come aligned with that common goal, it's pretty cool. I'm including all the creative types that are actually involved with Deadpool and Green Lantern, because those guys want to make an authentic movie, and that's something a few years ago studios disregarded.
Reynolds said that one of the "definitive" moments for him was seeing the Green Lantern costume for the first time because he could tell that the film would be "happening in the right way." In contrast, while Reynolds' portrayal of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was well-received by fans, the character itself was criticized by many in the fan community for straying too far from its comic book origins.
It's always difficult to fully embrace something that isn't perfect, in terms of staying true to the source material. So it was a little bit frustrating. I really wanted to play Wade, and I really wanted to play Deadpool, and it would kill me to see someone else play them. I had a kind of ham-fisted attitude that it had to be perfect, but it doesn't. The movie's called Wolverine, it's not called Deadpool or Wade. I thought it was a nice little wink and tip of the hat to things to come. Finding the tone of that character alone is such a difficult prospect. 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 had a blast playing Wade. Every line I had in that was stuff I thought he would say. It wasn't something that a writer said to me. It was fun to really create that character, including everything he spits out of his awful mouth.
Reynolds admits that he knew of the character of Green Lantern his "whole life," but wasn't a fan until he had a meeting with director Martin Campbell about the film.
I fell in love with [Green Lantern] when I met with 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 balls 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.
Posted 11.25.09 by BrentJS -
While 2008 was a high-profile year for movies adapted from comic books (Iron Man, The Dark Knight), 2009 had its own army of super properties arrayed on the big screen — nine notables all tallied, including the highly anticipated Watchmen.
So, how did this year's movies stack up? We take a look back, identifying the 2009 Comic Book Movies: Winners and Losers. And here's a bonus tip for studios that just can't be repeated enough: Don't turn an anime property into a live-action movie.
Posted 11.24.09 by reelz -
X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner admitted to Empire that Wolverine 2 is the "furthest along of all the X-Men projects on the boil." The sequel will be an adaptation of a Wolverine solo comic book series from the 1980s that follows Wolverine as he travels to meet an old flame in Japan.
It's actually the story we wanted to use for the first Wolverine film, but [Fox head honcho] Tom Rothman preferred to set the character up with an origin story first. This movie will really focus on the relationship between Wolverine and Mariko, the daughter of a Japanese crime lord, and what happens to him in Japan. We're very fortunate to have a story mostly outlined for us [from the comic book arc co-written by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller].
Shuler Donner believes the movie will also be shot in Japan and is hoping "to have the Japanese Fox executives involved in helping and counseling us" in order to maintain authenticity. She says even screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie is "in Japan in his head." But what will really impress fans is the fighting, with Wolverine taking on both the Yakuza and a ninja clan called the Hand.
What's cool about this part of the saga is that Wolverine will be fighting in a different style to what we've seen before. Mariko's father has this stick-like weapon, so Wolverine will have to fight against that. There'll be samurai, ninja, katana blades, different forms of martial arts - mano-a-mano, extreme fighting. We're going to come up with a new style of fighting. It's going to be awesome.
Posted 10.17.09 by Ryan -
Ryan Reynolds' screen time in X-Men Origins: Wolverine may have been brief, but it was effective enough to get a Deadpool movie spin-off in the works.
For those without the DVD, Trailer Addict has posted the bonus featurette in which Reynolds discusses the character. Interwoven thoughout is nearly all the Deadpool footage from the movie, including the Easter egg post-credits ending that played in select theaters.
Posted 10.16.09 by Ryan -
Though South African director Gavin Hood's X-Men Origins: Wolverine was beset with troubles, from rumors of frequent arguments with Fox executives to the very real leak of an unfinished cut, the fourth chapter in the X-Men franchise was undoubtedly successful, grossing in excess of $370 million worldwide. Often criticized by fans for his tinkering with the origin of Logan/Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) and the character's relationship with Victor Creed/Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), Hood recently told Rotten Tomatoes that changing the script was essential.
In the original script they were not half-brothers. There was some resistance to that, because in the world of the comics there's only a small suggestion in one particular comic that Victor Creed and Wolverine may well be half-brothers. I just gravitated to that. Just having one good guy versus bad guy, with no emotional connection just felt like "Whoa — you'll have nothing but punching and kicking." That was a way to build up the emotional power of the film.
Hood is the logical choice to direct the planned sequel, but he said that he had "no idea" if he would be asked to return.
All that's happened at the moment is that the studio has just commissioned the script for Wolverine 2 to be written. Whether that film will ever get made will depend on many factors — whether the studio likes the script, whether they find a director who responds to the script. Might that be me? Sure, I'd be extremely interested and thrilled if they were to send it to me.
Posted 10.15.09 by BrentJS -
Fans of the X-Men are familiar with the evolution of the trilogy: X-Men was good, X2: X-Men United was terrific, and X-Men: The Last Stand just plain sucked. Last Stand's director, Brett Ratner, has heard all the criticism and is sick of it.
You can't make these people happy. I'm kind of the anti-Christ to these comic book geeks. Every single person that wrote s**t went to see that movie multiple times because a movie doesn't gross $200 something million unless people go to see it more than once. Every single person who said, "I'm never seeing that movie," they were the first ones there.
Calling the fan base of your movie "geeks" isn't the most courteous of expressions, but his frustration is somewhat understandable since Last Stand did make $234 million in the U.S. alone and, ultimately, $460 million worldwide. It also cost $210 million to make, so it's not as impressive a profit margin as Ratner would have readers believe. If box office is the sole measure of a movie's success or failure, X2 was more profitable, with Last Stand barely surpassing The X-Men. Not that it matters to Ratner, who still considers his effort a triumph.
If I buried the franchise how the f**k did they make a Wolverine? I mean, that's ridiculous. And they're making three other f**king X-Men movies. Mine kept the franchise alive!
X-Men "geeks" will likely disagree with that statement, and could point out that the success of X-Men Origins: Wolverine is keeping the franchise alive. Also, it might be mentioned that Fox has to continue to developing X-Men movies or else the rights revert back to Marvel Entertainment.
Posted 10.15.09 by Ryan -
In the wake of the first three X-Men movies' success, a whole slate of Origins movies were announced, including Wolverine, Deadpool, and Magneto. X-Men Origins: Wolverine debuted this year and is currently out on DVD and Blu-Ray. Actor Ryan Reynolds recently stated that he would be reprising the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool, despite being cast as Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern movie. But, there hasn't been much talk about Magneto.
David S. Goyer, the screenwriter of the Blade movies and The Dark Knight, has been attached as both the writer and the director of the Magneto film, but there has been no official word on when the production will get underway. According to Sir Ian McKellen, who portrayed Magneto in all three X-Men films, he may not be involved with the movie.
There's meant to be a Magneto script floating around, but I've not read it, so I suspect it wouldn't involve me. I think it would be about the younger Magneto, and the most I could hope for would be to top and tail that. They can't have someone whose face is as lined as mine any longer!
Posted 10.14.09 by BrentJS -
Gavin Hood says it's no surprise that Ryan Reynolds would get his own spin-off as Deadpool. The X-Men Origins: Wolverine director told MTV that Reynolds' commitment to the role led him to do the majority of his own swordplay.
[Reynolds spent] the Christmas and New Year's break with the stunt coordinators, because in that scene with the swordplay I think there's only one shot where we used the stuntman. You have to do a heck of a lot of work to work on that swordplay in a very compressed period of time.
His early efforts were somewhat suspect, so we were quite worried, because those swords were twirling and I thought he was going to cuthis arms off. In a matter of weeks [he] was spinning those swords like a pro.
Hood admits he'd like to work with Reynolds again.
He's very talented and very pleasant, which makes him a very appealing package.
Let's hopes audiences agree since Reynolds has not just Deadpool but Green Lantern riding on his appeal for box-office success.
Posted 09.29.09 by Ryan