deadpool

James Gunn is at it again, this time taking umbrage at the ridiculous comments of an unknown studio exec “source” that Deadline cited in a recent article about the success of ‘Deadpool‘ and what it means for the future of the superhero genre. Take a minute to read his comments in full below:

“The film has a self-deprecating tone that’s riotous. It’s never been done before. It’s poking fun at Marvel. That label takes itself so seriously, can you imagine them making fun of themselves in a movie? They’d rather stab themselves.”

Photo credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

That’s a quote from Deadline Hollywood, attributing it to a Hollywood “suit.” I love Deadline and get a lot of my film business news from them. And I love Deadpool even more – the film is hilariously funny, has lots of heart, and is exactly what we need right now, taking true risks in spectacle film – but COME THE FUCK ON. That’s no reason to rewrite history. This quote has to have been said by the dumbest fucking Hollywood exec in the history of dumb fucking Hollywood execs.

Let’s ignore Guardians for a moment, a movie that survives from moment to moment building itself up and cutting itself down – God knows I’m biased about that one. But what do you think Favreau and Downey did in Iron Man? What the fuck was Ant-Man??!

Come on, Deadline.

After every movie smashes records people here in Hollywood love to throw out the definitive reasons why the movie was a hit. I saw it happen with Guardians. It “wasn’t afraid to be fun” or it “was colorful and funny” etc etc etc. And next thing I know I hear of a hundred film projects being set up “like Guardians,” and I start seeing dozens of trailers exactly like the Guardians trailer with a big pop song and a bunch of quips. Ugh.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Deadpool wasn’t that. Deadpool was its own thing. THAT’S what people are reacting to. It’s original, it’s damn good, it was made with love by the filmmakers, and it wasn’t afraid to take risks.

For the theatrical experience to survive, spectacle films need to expand their definition of what they can be. They need to be unique and true voices of the filmmakers behind them. They can’t just be copying what came before them.

So, over the next few months, if you pay attention to the trades, you’ll see Hollywood misunderstanding the lesson they should be learning with Deadpool. They’ll be green lighting films “like Deadpool” – but, by that, they won’t mean “good and original” but “a raunchy superhero film” or “it breaks the fourth wall.” They’ll treat you like you’re stupid, which is the one thing Deadpool didn’t do.

But hopefully in the midst of all this there will be a studio or two that will take the right lesson from this – like Fox did with Guardians by green-lighting Deadpool – and say – “Boy, maybe we can give them something they don’t already have.”

And that’s who is going to succeed.

Have a great day.”

Following this rant, it seems that Gunn at least made nice with Deadline, with the following Tweet wherein he stated “I still love you though” to the news outlet.

Regardless, Gunn does have a point, and as an avid enjoyer of the MCU, I am glad to see him sticking up for Disney/ Marvel, and pointing out that while ‘Deadpool’ is phenomenal, it is not the first movie to be self-depreciating or funny. Even more so, I am glad that he is pointing out that ‘Deadpool’ was a huge success because of the originality of the film, and the risks everyone took in crafting such a film. I’m hoping the execs over at Warner Bros are listening, because this is the kind of stuff that could really save their own DC Cinematic Universe, especially if ‘Batman V Superman’ lives up to the negative hype and fails as epically as some are predicting. Who knows, maybe they will realize that ‘Suicide Squad‘ could have pushed the boundaries further, or been rated “R,” I mean anything is possible now that we know there is an audience out there for movies like ‘Deadpool.’

What are your thoughts on Gunn’s comments? Do you agree with his sentiments about ‘Deadpool?’ Share your opinions in the comments below!