Deadpool is finally arriving in theaters on February 12, and it’s been a long time coming. In fact, the chances of the movie being made in the first place looked very grim, and we would have been without the R-rated superhero we’ve all been waiting for. Deadpool could have easily been nothing more than a throwaway character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
But how was the movie saved and reborn as the marketing phenomenon we all know today? Back in 2012, test footage for the film was produced and distributed to studio heads, but that wasn’t received well. It wasn’t until 2014 that the clip hit the public audience, and the immense positive feedback made studios change their minds and allowed production for the film to continue. The clip was so popular it was even recreated in the actual movie. You can find that short scene that made the movie a reality here.
Since then, we just can’t get away from hearing about Deadpool. He’s been a part of our Christmas, Halloween, and it’s the perfect rom-com to see for Valentine’s Day. Some of the advertising has been harder to pick up, but it’s all been within the sarcastic, profane tone of the movie, which has made fans really jonesing for the film’s release. It has also been a testament to Ryan Reynolds’ love of the character, as he’s been posting as Deadpool on social media for some time, and we just aren’t sick of the character’s personality yet. (Now we just need Oscar Isaac to start doing that as Apocalypse.)
With the marketing blitz and an almost certain sequel for the character, Deadpool has come a long way from a studio’s thumbs-down.
