As recently as five years ago, the idea of a movie with a character like Deadpool at the center would have been seen as impossible. It's not the bad language, as God gave us Quentin Tarantino. The gratuitous violence is not a problem either, as movies like
Kick Ass,
Wanted and
Dredd paved the way, creating a contest of sorts. It's not enough to just be shockingly violent anymore! Now we expect a certain level of inventiveness along with that blood splatter. Just watch
Kingsman and you'll see where that contest is taking Hollywood. Shockingly, inventively violent happens to be Deadpool's specific cup of tea, and if those previously mentioned films with comic book themes could exist, it's sort of laughable Deadpool wasn't born right alongside them! So, was the fact that Deadpool is a Marvel Comics character and the suggestion that he exists alongside (at the very least, the FOX stable) the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe enough to keep him off the big screens for so long? Who knows. What ever the reason studio executives would give for shelving a character that makes major bank in merchandising and comic books every year, I think they all agreed the time for a Rated R super hero is NOW...but could they make it work?
