Hilariously Risqué, Deadpool 2 Delivers Everything You Want… And Slightly More

Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Eddie Marsan, Zazie Beetz, Karan Soni
Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rated: MA
Running Time: 119 minutes

Synopsis: After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry's hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor - finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World's Best Lover.

Review: You know how sequels are usually a lot less funny and nowhere near as smart as the first installment? Not this time! Deadpool 2 is just as good as the first - packed to the brim with profanities and sexual innuendo, this joke-filled action film delivers from the beginning (the James Bond-esque opening credits are perfection) until the very, very end.

Deadpool is still Marvel's crude antihero but this time he is surrounded by a 'family' of mischievous 'heroes' generously titled 'X-Force', who deliver an assortment of unforgettable moments. The noticeable difference is that Deadpool 2 is occasionally serious and has a more intense plot than the original, yet still continues to poke fun at its own genre.

Most definitely for an adult audience, the film is ambitious and guarantees a lot of laughs; just make sure you stay for the charismatic Ryan Reynold funnies during the credits...
-Brooke Hunter

Deadpool 2
Release Date: May 16th, 2018

 

About The Production

After breaking box office records, Ryan Reynolds returns as "Deadpool" and this time the Merc with the Mouth's movie is bigger and more badass than ever.

David Leitch, director of "John Wick" and "Atomic Blonde," is at the helm to bring more Deadpool back to the big screen in all his glorious glory. David Leitch says, "I've had the honor and privilege to help create a couple of different cool universes, but there's something that's undeniably fascinating about the "Deadpool" universe – it re-imagined the action-comedy. The original was so special, and the world itself seems to be so expansive that you could have a creative voice and still be true to the original."

"Deadpool" debuted in February 2016 with the biggest R-rated opening of all time and went on to be the highest-grossing R-rated film in history with more than $750-million globally. "Deadpool" was also honored as the first live-action superhero movie to be nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture in the Comedy or Musical category, and Ryan Reynolds was also nominated as Best Actor.

Ryan Reynolds not only stars in the title role, he also co-wrote and produced "Deadpool 2."

"Ryan Reynolds is an incredible comedic talent," says David Leitch, "and "Deadpool" works as a perfect ground for things he really excels at. He took that character from the comic books and made it his own brand. There's a synergistic effect with "Deadpool" and Ryan Reynolds. He really is Deadpool in real life – in terms of the way he talks and sees the world, sometimes. He's funny and irreverent but also has a huge heart and compassion, like Deadpool."

Writers and executive producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also wrote the first film, have been involved with "Deadpool" since 2009. "It feels like we've been living with him our whole lives," says Paul Wernick. Ryan Reynolds approached Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to write the screenplay for the original "Deadpool" and Rhett Reese recalls, "It took us five or six years of an uphill climb to get the movie made and it was very much a passion project in a way that is usually reserved for things like independent films or little movies that can't get financed. "Deadpool" is an apple among oranges, when it comes to superheroes. He is irreverent. He is self-loathing. He is silly, childlike, violent, annoying. He's a lot of things that other superheroes aren't and he's not really even a superhero. He's kind of an antihero in superhero garb."

"Deadpool is sort of like the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame,' says David Leitch. "He's disfigured and incredibly empathetic. He's got a great backstory. There's the wish fulfillment of a guy who has these healing powers. He's kind of invincible. And he's irreverent. He says dark, funny bold shit that you can't say, but we like to hear. That mixture is great for a character."

Paul Wernick adds, "Deadpool is a self-deprecating, self-hating shame-spiral. We just fell in love with it. To have had Ryan Reynolds's voice in our heads the whole time, as we were writing, was such a privilege. He is Deadpool. His mind works and thinks and speaks as one character. It really is a treat for us to sit down at the computer and write for him."

"Ryan Reynolds is very much Deadpool in the sense that his sense of humor is in line with Deadpool's," says Rhett Reese. "It's very raunchy and edgy and silly and immature. He was just the perfect fit for it and he knew that. He was in love with the character before we ever got the first movie going. Among the many things he brings to it is the physicality, making Deadpool funny behind his mask and suit. Ryan Reynolds is very Chaplinesque. He can do a lot with his body and gestures to convey humor and personality so, despite the fact that you see his face only in about half the movie, he really is able to communicate comedy just through his voice and through his mannerisms."

Left Of Center

Throughout production of "Deadpool 2," Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick never stopped writing. "It didn't end with the final draft," says Reese, noting that during postproduction of the first "Deadpool," "We rewrote a lot of Deadpool's dialogue. He was behind a mask, so you could place whatever words you wanted into his mouth."

"We flew under the radar on the first one," says Paul Wernick. "On this one, it was quite the opposite. The pressure was immense. Every little detail that came out in the press became a massive story. All these little nuggets that leaked out over time made us realise that the expectations are enormous.

What Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese and I tried to do is just what we did on the first one. As long as it makes us laugh and there are tears coming from our eyes, and those are tears of happiness, we feel like we're in good shape."

Ryan Reynolds wrote Deadpool 2 with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.
Rhett Reese adds, "That's been a real treat, because he's such a brilliant mind and talented in so many ways. Ryan Reynolds is a joke machine."

Paul Wernick says, "As long as we can stay left of center and subvert what you expect, then we're doing our job. The beauty of "Deadpool" is, the more obscure the reference, the funnier it is."

David Leitch adds, "In making a sequel, you have to be true to the material and the script. The script that Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick came up with has its own heart and soul. As a storyteller, you want to make sure that you're true to that, and then you have to be true to the DNA of the original franchise that was so successful. There's the satire and the irreverence of the R-rated comedy, and this over the top action. And then, you have to find a voice as a filmmaker and make it your own. That's the biggest challenge - you don't want to alienate an audience. With my background, there may be expectation that the action is going to be bigger, so you have to service those things. It's the puzzle. In the process of directing, you have to make those bold choices, swing for the fences and be provocative. And what other universe allows you to do that more than "Deadpool"? You can make big choices and apologize for them with one fourth-wall break. That's what's cool about the source material. They break the rules."

"David Leitch really gets "Deadpool," says Rhett Reese. "He's one of the best action directors in the world, and he amps the action like crazy."

"Action is a huge element of "Deadpool,"" Paul Wernick adds, "and we've got one of the best in David Leitch. He makes everybody else's action look like dated eighties movies. The action in "Deadpool 2" is brilliant. It's going to be jaw-dropping."

Executive producer Aditya Sood says, "David Leitch brings something to the table that no one else has. There are sequences in this movie that I don't think anybody else could ever have done and they dovetail so well with Deadpool's anarchic wit and his left-of-center thinking."

Rob Liefeld – Comic Creator and Fan!

"I am an artist who wanted to write because I got control of the content of my visuals," says "Deadpool" creator Rob Liefeld. "That's where the battle is won - the visuals win the day in terms of cool. I still turn my head at a cool "Deadpool" drawing, whether I drew it or not or if I see him in real life. That red and black looks magnificent."

Rob Liefeld is a fan of his character's movies. "Ryan Reynolds made "Deadpool" a little dirtier. He brings that extra-edgy material that works. He's perfect for it. They've taken great liberties with the R-rating and I think it found its own niche. I'm thrilled that there's this different muscle that Fox gets to work out." Rob Leifeld notes that part of the reason he loves it so much is that he was a teenager in the 80s when there was a seminal slate of now classic R-rated action picture franchises, such as "Terminator," "Alien" and "Predator." "It was before we got to this PG-13 space where everything's safe. I'm thrilled that "Deadpool" is on par with those."

While "Deadpool" spans comic books to actions figures, Rob Liefeld says, "The best version is what they've done with these films because they've put the utmost care and love into them and they haven't betrayed the comic. They take some liberties, but they're sticking true to the sources, and they should, because there is a fan base out there. X-Force is the second best-selling comic of all time. I thought that would not stand. Twenty six years later, now I know it's never going to fall."

When They Go Low...

""Deadpool" does not take the genre seriously, and it also doesn't take itself seriously," says Rhett Reese. "In this movie, Ryan Reynolds makes fun of himself. He makes fun of the writing. He makes fun of Fox. He makes fun of all the things associated with the franchise, so it softens those jokes about other people when we're also willing to make jokes about ourselves."

"Ryan Reynolds is a comic genius," says Rhett eese. "One of his many facets of comedic genius is his willingness to go places that are just shy of objectionable. When Paul Wernick came up with the soap dispenser bit [sorry but no spoilers here if the reader has not yet seen the movie!], I was like 'oh no' and then of course 'oh yes,' that's just perfect. Our political phrase isn't "When they go low, we go high." Ours is, "when they go low, we go lower." We're willing to go all the way, dig all the way down to get a laugh."

And just to clarify the writers' individual senses of humor, while Paul Wernick came up with the soap dispenser gag, Rhett Reese contributed the 'toilet paper' treatise, which happens later in the film. Rhett Reese admits, "I have a toilet paper manifesto of my own, about the inadequacy of toilet paper. I do this bit about it, and I did it for Ryan Reynolds. We all looked at each other and said, "This has to go into the movie somehow." Then we discussed what caliber actor would we need to do such a scene."" Finding the right thespian who could deliver that passage was a challenge, to say the least.

The Beating Heart - The Secret Sauce
Paul Wernick says, ""Deadpool" is known as a comedy, but there's a real beating heart to it. The secret sauce of "Deadpool" is this emotional core. It's a character that's been kicked and knocked down, and life's been really tough on him, as a character with cancer and this terrible scarring on his face. I think kids related to Spider-Man because it was a nerdy little kid, and then he put on the mask and he was this amazing super hero. And I think people tap into Wade Wilson because they see a character whose life has been tough and he somehow overcomes it all, laughs about it and wins in the end. I think people really relate to that."

Aditya Sood says, "One of the real challenges – and joys – of "Deadpool" is finding that balance between the comedy, the action, and the emotion. What's wonderful about Ryan Reynolds is that he can handle all of those things. If he were just a comedic star, he would be the best comedic star. If he were just an action star, he could just do that. If he were just a dramatic actor, he could do that. But the fact that he can do all three, that is what allows "Deadpool" to be "Deadpool.""

"The makeup is such an ordeal," says Paul Wernick, referring to the prosthetic makeup Ryan Reynolds wears as scarred Wade Wilson. "We built schedules around how quickly we could get Ryan Reynolds out of if because it's oppressive. It takes hours to put on, and he's uncomfortable in it, and he's got to act underneath this pile of plastic. How impossible is it to emote when you've got this prosthetic basically stapled to your face? And yet, he does it brilliantly. It's really a credit to Ryan Reynolds and his abilities as an actor to act behind that mask. He is the voice of this movie. He is the beating heart that is Deadpool. His instincts are almost always dead-on.

When he's behind that camera and watching and guiding the process, he really has his fingers on the pulse of what's going to work and what's not going to work."

Paul Wernick notes that for some people, "Comics are like the Bible. You better stick to exactly how that character is in the comics. What's so great about the comics, though, is that because there are different writers that come in and out of a series, a character could die here and then come back to life. We're allowed a little flexibility in how we treat a character. I think our goal as writers isn't to mimic any particular writer of the comics, it's to get the flavor and feel and texture of a character, and his or her voice, and then bring it to the screen in our own original way."

He adds, "The script is pretty much our Bible. It gives us the launching pad and we get what's on the page. But there's always the ad-libs and the improv that all of the actors contribute to. When you have these brilliant comedic minds at your disposal, you use them."

"I think the best movies are ones where the artists creating them resonate the frequency of the source material," says Aditya Sood, "and there is something about Ryan Reynolds and Rhett and Paul's' brains that just coalesce perfectly with "Deadpool." They really speak for the character, and it's a joy to work with them because you know you're always going to be surprised with new things, but at the same time, they feel essentially Deadpooly."

"Deadpool 2" is filled with an assortment of nasty antagonists, but there is no one main villain. Paul Wernick says, "Deadpool's a character who breaks all the rules, he breaks the fourth wall. We, in turn, do the same. "Deadpool 2" doesn't have the traditional mustache-twirling villain. It's an unusual structure. We want to set up the audience to believe that Cable is the actual villain and it's going to be Cable versus Deadpool. Ultimately, that doesn't turn out to be the case and they team up."

Josh Brolin As Cable

Academy Award-nominated actor Josh Brolin has starred in a slate of films, ranging from "No Country For Old Men" and "Sicario," all the way back to the now-classic "Goonies." In "Deadpool 2," Brolin stars as one of the most highly-anticipated screen personas in recent history: the time-traveling Cable, a warrior infected with the techno-organic virus that renders him cybernetic. "One of the things that made "Deadpool" popular was that, while it was silly and irreverent, it also had a heart and real angst and grounded emotions," says Rhett Reese. "Wade Wilson is someone who leads a pretty tormented life and lives on the edge of society. We wanted to carry that into "Deadpool 2," and we worked in some pretty serious, dark plots. Deadpool is still on the fringe, he hasn't really made much of his life and he is still scrounging to get by – which is always endearing. The Cable character has also lost a great deal. He has lost his wife and daughter at the hands of a mad man, and he's doing anything in his power, including traveling back in time, to solve that issue and bring them back. In this, there is an undercurrent of real emotion and depth that counterbalances the humor. It's not just farce or a romp. It has real emotional underpinnings and I think the combination is where we like to live."

"Cable is a stalwart of X-Force," says Paul Wernick. "Deadpool is the gateway into the X-Force world, and an essential part. Cable is the straight man to Deadpool's madness. He provides an almost parallel emotional core. Despite them being very different, they're very similar in that they're both broken. They've both lost something and are in search of something. Ultimately, they find each other."

"Josh Brolin is a treasure and one of the great actors of our generation. We're just privileged to have him," says Paul Wernick. "Josh Brolin is incredible," adds Aditya Sood. "He personifies this character that's been a fan favorite for years. I think it's going to be really exciting for everybody to see it on the screen. It was great for us, because we got to look at all those wonderful Cable - Deadpool stories and try to get the essence of what that relationship was and translate it to the screen. They are incredibly strongwilled personalities. One sees the world in black and white in a very serious way, and the other sees the world in fuchsia and technicolor and every shade of grey in between. Sparks fly between them. The movie is not a buddy movie in any way, but you can see the beginnings of a partnership that may yield even bigger results in the future."

"Deadpool" creator Rob Liefeld, also created Cable. He says, "Josh Brolin could not be more perfect for the role. He's one of the most talented actors of all space and time!" Rob Liefeld recalls meeting Josh Brolin on set and thinking, "I'm meeting Cable! How awesome is this!?! I dare anyone to meet one of your own creations and not get umpteen butterflies in your stomach."

To morph into the fighting machine Cable, Josh Brolin worked out diligently for months and was also extremely disciplined in his dietary habits. He was very proud of getting into what he calls, "the best shape of my life."

Zazie Beetz As Domino

As well as giving Deadpool and Cable life, Rob Liefeld also created Domino, introducing her in New Mutants #98, the same issue in which Deadpool debuted. Rob Liefeld says, "Deadpool took everybody down in the course of 10 pages, and Domino took Deadpool down in one page! She's capable. She can go toe-to-toe with anybody, especially Deadpool and Cable. She is a badass combatant with a unique power. It's an unknown power of probabilities, kind of a luck power. She's wonderfully unpredictable in that way."

Rob Liefeld was delighted with the casting of Zazie Beetz. "I cheered the day they cast her. I thought, 'she's perfect,' because who else is going to stand toe-to-toe with Ryan and take none of his crap? And Zazie Beetz as Domino has achieved that. It's just a great dynamic."

"I feel very honored to be bringing the role to life," says Zazie Beetz, "And be the first live action Domino, to be entrusted with that. I'm black, and she doesn't look black. That did concern me, but I really appreciated it when Rob Liefeld told me that he'd never assigned a race to her. And if you read the comics, she has different aliases that are very international names."

Paul Wernick notes that Domino is also a stalwart of X-Force. He says, "It's this ragtag group of dysfunctional, morally improper or uncentered folks. She doesn't put up with Deadpool's shit at all. She rolls her eyes and can't believe she's involved with this ragtag group of fuck-ups and yet, that's exactly where she fits in. I feel like the audience will just fall in love with Domino, as we all have."

Paul Wernick says, "Zazie Beetz is so funny and so fresh. She brings a youthfulness and a Millennialeye- roll feel to a world where Deadpool is a 40-year-old dude. And so, to us, she's a little bit of the audience in a front-row seat to Deadpool's annoying craziness."

"Domino is lucky," says Zazie Beetz. "I think that because she's sort of jaded, she takes it for granted. She's sarcastic and sardonic. She goes head to head with Deadpool, and doesn't take his shit. Domino does her own thing. She's not really a sidekick, she holds her own. She's a mercenary and does her job and then heads out. She knows what she's got, and it's interesting because that can open up the discussion of where does that luck end and begin? Because her past is quite tragic. I find it an interesting juxtaposition. She's lucky, but to what extent? If everything just works out for you, then what's the point in even being motivated to do anything? She struggles with that a lot."

Julian Dennison As Russell / Firefist

The breakout star of "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," the highestgrossing picture in New Zealand film history, Julian Dennison plays Russell, who ultimately becomes Firefist. Dennison was 14-years-old while filming "Deadpool 2." He points out that he wasn't old enough to watch the first film when it came out, and had to watch a clean version. "I skipped all the naughty parts, but it's still one of the funniest films of all time." As for being protected from the naughty parts of "Deadpool 2," he quips, "I'm part of those naughty parts! I can't wait for my family to see it, they'll leave the theatre going – 'what have they turned my child into!?'" Julian Dennison says, "When we first meet Russell, he's at an orphanage run by a crazy, insane man. Russell is at a low point, he's really angry and sad and just wants to let it all out and blow stuff up. As Firefist, he's able to shoot fireballs out of his hands. His powers are an extension of himself, it's how he speaks if he's full of rage. By the end of the film, he is very strong and knows how to use his powers and control them."

Julian Dennison says that Firefist's choreography is inspired by the Maori haka, a traditional war dance (New Zealand's rugby team, the 'All Blacks,' has a well-known haka). He says, "The Maori would do it before a war to call upon the gods to help. Firefist is very strong when he's using it." "Firefist provides Deadpool the connection to his old life," says Paul Wernick. "It's a little bit of the fatherson, except Deadpool is just the worst father in the world. He's obscene, obnoxious, annoying, the rule-breaker."

"I was a huge fan, as we all were, of "Hunt for the Wilderpeople,"" says Sood. "You had no idea how much of that character is Julian. He is one of a kind. He's such a natural actor. So likeable and so precise in his comedic timing it's amazing to watch him. Playing opposite Ryan Reynolds and Josh Brolin, he is up against some pretty formidable costars and he holds his own."

Morena Baccarin As Vanessa

Morena Baccarin returns as Vanessa, the love of Wade Wilson's life. She says, "Much like the first movie, this is really fun, action-packed, funny and the true heart in it is very palpable and beautiful. It's heartbreaking. It's a beautiful story of life and love and coming to terms with what it means to have a family."

"Working with Ryan Reynolds is always great," she says. "He's really funny and dedicated to this project. He's really focused and it helps because you're able to get a lot of work done quickly, but you're having fun while you're doing it. There's definitely a lot of ad-lib, but it's mostly him throwing one-liners my way – but a couple of times I got in there."

Discussing the success of the first film, Morena Baccarin says, " I think people love how irreverent the whole thing is. Not just his character, but the movie - nothing is too precious. Everybody's a mark. Nobody is safe from the humor of being made fun of. It doesn't shy away from uncomfortable moments. It just stares you right in the face, but in a really fun, fun way."

She enjoyed working with David Leitch. "David Leitch's been awesome," she says. "He's really calm, really centered. You feel like it should be more tortuous to do a movie like this, although I will say they tortured me with a lot of underwater work," she quips. In this film, Morena Baccarin had to film several scenes underwater. She says, "One of my biggest fears is scuba diving. And they texted me: 'how do you feel about getting in a large tank and doing underwater stunts?' I replied 'this is not a texting conversation, this is more of a phone call conversation!' They talked me through it and said I'd require some scuba training. I was up for trying and facing my fears. I got in the tank and I did it. And I will say that I don't want to do it again. I think I was underwater, way down in a chair for 20 minutes at a time trying to act a scene. It was terrifying."

Brianna Hildebrand As Negasonic Teenage Warhead

Brianna Hildebrand returns as NTW. "We are super excited that Negasonic Teenage Warhead is back in this movie," says Sood. "She was one of the great gems of the first one."

"Negasonic has grown and matured a lot since the last film," says Brianna Hildebrand. "Maybe she has figured out more about herself. Before, she was really rebellious and I think she still has an attitude, but she's more comfortable now and not necessarily trying to rebel as much as she is just being herself."

This time around, NTW has a love interest: a girlfriend, Yukio, played by Shioli Kutsuna. Brianna Hildebrand says, "It's exciting for NTW, and I think the relationship has helped her grow into her own person. Maybe growing with someone so polar opposite to yourself can benefit you a lot." She enjoyed working with Kutsuna. "Working with Shioli has been fun. She is adorable and super sweet by herself, but as Yukio, she is even more adorable with her pink hair! In the first one, I never thought I would be here now with a love interest, but it's cool. It's fun" She is excited about NTW's new relationship and the idea of a lesbian couple in the superhero universe. "It's new for the superhero world. It's exciting and empowering. Growing up, I would have loved to see a superhero I could relate to like that. It's cool to be part of that."

Brianna Hildebrand enjoys writing and, just as she did to prepare for the role in the first film, she created another journal for NTW. "Sometimes, if I was feeling super moody, I'd write in her journal because I felt like her. It's definitely not a full journal, but for over a year and a half, I wrote in it." The actress says researching the character in the comic world has had its limitation. "It was kind of hard because she was only ever in two comics. So it was harder for me to draw inspiration from the comics. It was easier for me to journal and that kind of stuff because it gave me more to work with." Hildebrand muses that she may well have written more about her character than its creators have.

Shioli Kutsuna As Yukio

Shioli Kutsuna joins the "Deadpool" world as Yukio. Shioli Kutsuna describes her as a "A very happy Tokyo-style kind of girl, with a very pink, posh hairstyle. But she's a badass assassin. She can fight." Yukio is NTW's new girlfriend. "NTW is more cynical and cold, but Yukio is always trying to see the positive side of everything."

Karan Soni As Dopinder

Karan Soni returns as Deadpool's ride, taxi driver Dopinder. He says, "I really love the character. I grew up in India and, for me, Dopinder is an amalgamation of different people I grew up with. Funny enough, I had never gotten to do an Indian accent before, so it's really fun because it feels like I'm using stuff from my childhood. I think what's really cool about the character is when Deadpool meets him, he doesn't make fun of him. Instead, he becomes his friend and wants to help. The world of Deadpool is very dark and bloody and I don't know if Dopinder sees all that. He's just living with the biggest smile on his face. He's a cool addition to the universe because the movie is quite dark and it's nice to have this bright light walking and driving around everywhere, innocent."

Karan Soni says, "In the second movie, Dopinder's motivation has changed. In the first, he's romantically motivated. In this one, he's motivated by Deadpool. He looks up to him and wants to be like him. It's really fun and I got to do some really crazy stuff." His favorite part, he says, "was the slow-motion superhero walk. We didn't shoot it in slow motion, but when they played in back in slow motion, it was the coolest thing! It was like a dream moment. It's the coolest I've ever looked. "

Leslie Uggams As Blind Al

"Once I put that wig on, it all came flooding back," says Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Leslie Uggams, who returns to play Wade's unlikely roommate, Blind Al.

"I just love the character so much, it was fun to be able to do her again. She is fun to play because she is totally opposite of the person that I am. She doesn't care, she says exactly what is on her mind, and she likes throwing those F-bombs. I think it's fascinating, too, because you think that because she's blind, she's going to be quiet, kind of sedate. And she is totally the opposite of that. She's been around the block, she doesn't take any nonsense and she just says whatever she wants to say. I think that's why the relationship between her and Wade is terrific. It's kind of like best buddy, mother - son, because he knows that anything he says is safe with her. But any BS that he tries to pull she's right there to tell him but quick with one line what needs to be done. She is kind of like the priest when he needs to confess certain things. She's there to listen and try to give him advice. Their relationship is more than just a roommate situation, there's a deep friendship between them."

Eddie Marsan As The Headmaster

Eddie Marsan plays the Headmaster of Broadstone House, Essex School for the Young. He says, "The school tries to teach mutant children to suppress their urges to explore their abilities. The Headmaster is a fundamentalist who tries to tell children to control their urges." He notes that the set design and posters are propaganda and he describes the Headmaster as a "genetic fundamentalist." The orphanage is full of young mutant children with extraordinary powers. The Headmaster has developed a type of cognitive therapy that stops them from exploring these abilities. Eddie Marsan says, "He has created a form of torture so that whenever they think about using their powers, they remember the pain he's inflicted on them and that stops them using it."

The Headmaster tortures Russell just as he tortures the other mutant children. Eddie Marsan says, "One of the reasons why Russell turns bad and becomes dangerous is because of what the Headmaster has done." Eddie Marsan enjoyed working with Dennison and says, "He's a great actor and a lovely kid. He's got a great sense of humor."

T.J. Miller As Weasel

T.J. Miller is back as Deadpool's confidante, Weasel. T.J. Miller says, "Besides running the mercenary bar, Sister Mary Margaret's School for Wayward Girls, he deals weapons. So that's a big part of what's mysterious about him. How does he have all these hook-ups? He doesn't have any friends except Deadpool. He's a confusing dude at times. Weasel and Wade are not partners. They work together, but Weasel bets on him to die. The only reason they're friends is there's no one more selfish than the other one. "

A stand-up comedian as well as actor, Miller notes, ""Deadpool" is not just a comedy. It's a superhero film and it's also action. And so often in those types of films it is almost wholly my job to be funny and get a laugh right before you go to an action sequence or car chase. What's cool in this is Ryan's doing most of the comedy, so I'm just kind of adding to it, because we do want people laughing all the way through - unless they're crying or gasping. We want them laughing!"

T.J. Miller recalls, "After the first one, I said 'I don't care what the plot is of the next one. Just give Weasel a gun. That would be so fun, man.' I never get to shoot guns in movies, I'm always cracking wise. So Weasel gets a gun for the second film, but he does not shoot it. Because I forgot to say 'Can Weasel have a gun and shoot it.'" Needless to say, Miller looks forward to there being a Deadpool 3.

"Rhett Reese and Paul are such a team and so collaborative. They're smart and very quick and most importantly, open to the best idea in the room, which is something I always push myself to, and Ryan Reynolds does the same. Because I'm an improviser by trade, I'd show up every day with five, 15, 20 alt lines, and we'd talk on set, so all of Weasel's dialogue ends up being a collaboration. Ryan always pitched me jokes, and I'd pitch him, and Rhett Reese and Paul would pitch both of us. I think one of the reasons the first one was so good is it was absolutely collaborative."

Colossus

Andre Tricoteux returns with Colossus' body performance. While the character's voice and facial capture performance are done by Stefan Kapičić, Tricoteux was on set as Colossus during production. Tricoteux says, "Colossus comes from Russia and he's one of the original X-Men. He's educated, stoic, well-mannered, polite, and rarely loses his temper. He looks out for everybody else – the prototypical big brother. He turns into metal and obviously has great strength, speed and power. Deadpool and Colossus have always had a kind of big brother/little brother thing. Colossus is Deadpool's moral compass, he's always trying to keep him on the straight and narrow. He tries to help train him to become an X-Man. And of course, Deadpool finds ways to screw everything up."

Jack Kesy as Black Tom Cassidy

Jack Kesy plays Black Tom, one of the inmates of the mutant prison, where all the mutants wear dampening collars to prevent them from using their special powers. His character sports dreadlocks and a huge Celtic cross tattooed on his back. He says, "I didn't think of it, but I love the look, it's wonderful."

When Wade and Russell arrive at the Mutant Prison, Black Tom and his sidekick Sluggo, played by Robert Maillet, have it in for them. Tom menaces young Russell. Jack Kesy says, "Black Tom sees vitality, youth, strength, power, his potential - and he wants all of it. He's always scheming, trying to find a way out."

Surprise!! Meet The X-Force

To keep storylines and even characters under wraps, code names were created for every key character in the script, and the actual title as well. A code breaker was issued, and for everyone involved in making the film, it was important to keep it handy while reading the screenplay.

It was even challenging for one of the script's writers: "We couldn't read a script with code names because it was so confusing," says Paul Wernick. "Ryan Reynolds was Chaplin or Keaton, depending on whether he was Deadpool or Wade. It was impossible without a legend or a map to keep us straight and on track. Sometimes it was like working at the CIA – for the goal of keeping the movie fresh and not spoiling it for anybody."

But if all the secrecy pays off, fans will be more than a little surprised to meet a slate of previously unannounced superheroes that Deadpool recruits to go up against an ultimate foe. As they're about to embark on their maiden mission, they dub themselves X-Force. Sood says, "That was something we really tried to keep under wraps as much as possible. It's always tricky when you're out in the middle of downtown Vancouver and there's a lot of people watching! Hopefully, this will confound audience expectations."

Terry Crews plays Bedlam. "I've been doing action comedy for years," he says, "but this is my first superhero movie. A lot of people feel I should have been in this thing a long time ago. But it took "Deadpool" to bring Terry Crews into the superhero fold and I love it." He describes the team: "Wade decides he's going to have his own version of the X-Men and he puts his own team together and they are a ragtag badass group."

"Bedlam is an absolutely fabulous character," says Crews.

"He can manipulate electrical fields and he can cause you pain and make you confused. It's a very psychological weapon - he literally sends his brain power."

Lewis Tan plays Shatterstar. He describes him as, "A bioengineered warrior from a different planet that was raised as a gladiator. He fights for money and performance. He's got a badass haircut, and hollow bones. He uses swords and he can channel shockwaves through them. He was engineered to be the greatest warrior and he's a natural born killer."

Tan's father, a stunt man and fight coordinator, is a friend of David Leitch's. Lewis Tan says, "I was raised on set around David Leitch and I trained with him off and on."

Regarding the shroud of secrecy around the X-Force, Lewis Tan says, "I imagine this is what it would be like to be a spy or in the FBI. It was very secretive, I couldn't even tell my family or friends."

Bill Skarsgard, who most recently starred as the terrifying clown Pennywise in the blockbuster "It," plays Zeitgeist. Bill Skarsgard notes, "Zeitgeist can puke acidic vomit and incinerate people." Zeitgeist is covered in ink. Bill Skarsgard, who also worked with Leitch on "Atomic Blonde" says, "David Leitch liked the whole skater and graffiti aesthetic, and it's a pretty good fit for a guy that pukes people to death. Zeitgeist has a bunch of tattoos that say "eat shit and die.""

Rob Delaney plays Peter. "He's a regular dude who, for some reason, answers an ad that Deadpool puts in the paper. Everybody else who answers is a legitimate superhero with either mutant powers or some kind of other powers and then there's Peter, who has no powers at all. He's earnest and has no bullshit and I think Deadpool admires that because everybody else is like, 'Hmm I've got the stuff to do the thing', and Peter's like, 'Hey yeah, I'd love to help out.' His heart's in the right place. He'd like to do well. Surely that's half the battle."

The Look Of "Deadpool 2"

A stellar team brings "Deadpool 2" to the screen, including a number of creative keys who have previously collaborated with David Leitch. Director of photography Jonathan Sela shot both "John Wick" and "Atomic Blonde."

Production designer David Scheunemann also previously worked with Leitch on "Atomic Blonde," as well as on several other films. On "Deadpool 2," Scheunemann's challenges included creating a massive prison for mutants as well as a fascistic orphanage for mutant children. The Port Mann Substation in Surrey, near Vancouver, was transformed into the mutant prison.

David Scheunemann says, "The prison is the darkest part of the mutant world you could possibly imagine. It's pretty spectacular, space-wise and architecturally. But we decided to go with a very simple concept. It's all based on function and how you would have to lock these people away." Each of the cells is a transparent pod, suspended on the wall, and the pods can be moved. The Orphanage, Broadstone House, Essex School for the Young, was constructed at Riverview, an historic residential mental hospital outside of Vancouver. David Scheunemann says, "The retro campaign look was based on two things. As we are in a comic world, we don't have to be 100 per cent true to how that institution would actually look in present day. We had much more freedom and I used it to try and find the right architectural concept and design from other times that would serve the story in a visual way. We injected a gritty version of mid-century modernism into this place from the 1910s and 20s, and then, merged it into something new. It's very simple how and why this happened. Riverview is a beautiful location, but the actual buildings didn't give us the playground we needed for the third act; they would have only given us one side of it." The art department enhanced the site with a new geography, constructing a new building adjacent to the old one. "We created a literal playground for the kids, but more like a playground for the scene. I didn't want to extend the building in the old period way. I wanted to have a more creepy, sparse look. So we merged two different times with each other.

"The other thing about the orphanage is the campaign that pulls it all together. It works on the edge with elements from North American comic propaganda from the forties and fifties. And then we mixed in the insane ideas of the Headmaster, and also visuals that were a little bit fascist in their touch."

David Scheunemann adds, "I had great collaborators, and the set dec team, run by Sandy Walker, had some brilliant detail-people that came up with really fun stuff."

"There are Easter eggs all over the place," David Scheunemann notes. Working with supervising art director Dan Hermansen, art director Roger Fires was charged with creating and planting the Easter eggs. "Deadpool 2" is jam-packed with hidden gems with special meaning for die-hard fans of the franchise and genre. The film's many treasures include nods to "The Goonies," the Alpha Flight, Canadiana, all things Marvel and much more, and the filmmakers did their best to place Easter eggs in virtually every scene and on every set.

Dan Glass has served as visual effects supervisor on a sensational array of movies and brings his talents to "Deadpool 2." Glass first encountered the director when David Leitch was a stunt man on the "Matrix" sequels, "Reloaded" and "Revolutions," and they went on to work together on a slate of films, including "V For Vendetta" and "Jupiter Ascending." Glass says, "David Letich's background is very practical, and it was apparent that he was taking an approach that was more akin to a "Bourne" or "James Bond" movie, where there is a real attempt to get a lot of things practically. But the nature of "Deadpool" means there are certain things you can't – some guys are larger than normal and made of metal. I prefer doing stuff that is very integrated and fits well into live action and real photography. It was clear that he wanted to push in that direction as much as possible."

Dan Glass says, "David Leitch and David Scheunemann and Jonathan Sela have really created a look and a craft that is superbly photographic and practical. There's a very rich set design and lighting that is a phenomenal base and reference for us to work against when we need to either incorporate into those scenes or create scenes. Having things that are strongly photographic and reality-based is fantastic to play off."

Andre Tricoteux wears a mo-cap suit to do Colossus' body performance. The actor is tall, but not over seven feet like his character is, so on set he wore a helmet to replicate Colossus' height. Dan Glass says they painted the helmet with metal, treated to look like the surface material. He says, "there's nothing unusual about having that kind of reference available when we shoot CG characters, but one of the by products that was surprising and exciting was they way the light reflections bounced off of it on to environments."

Another great challenge, he says, is, "How do you design and choreograph sequences of a fight between two oversized CG individuals? One of them [Juggernaut] is 9-foot-6, and one is 7-foot-6 [Colossus]. As characters get larger, they move differently and behave differently, and so a lot of the visual techniques of being able to do motion capture and even certain forms of having the stunt team help and choreograph, gets more difficult as these creatures get bigger. It's an interesting challenge to try and make that in a way that feels believable."

Dan Glass adds, "To be totally honest, the thing that is the most challenging is living up to what the fans expect from a "Deadpool" movie. It's trying to make sure you're making a film which has a focus and a goal of its own, but paying heed to what people want without swinging too much in either direction."

"Deadpool 2" introduces a number of new characters to film, including Firefist. Glass says, "I didn't want us to create a character that literally shoots flames from his hands. I thought it was very fantastical and a little hard to believe. So we thought maybe the way to make this more believable is he can push heat from his hands. That's really what it is – a heat blast. His hands heat super hot and they can push this out. One of the things with super-heated air or superheated anything is it expands and creates pressure. And pressure can have a destructive effect on things around it. So if you push out that pressure suddenly, things star to break, glass shatters, the ground disrupts, wood burns, etc. But, at the same time, because it's superheated, things would combust, so that contact makes things catch fire.

And so we played with this idea that he pushes out this heat and you see destruction and things catching alight. You get the feeling of Firefist, but actually, it seems strangely – even in the fantastical world – a little bit more believable and a little different to maybe what we've seen before."

Another interesting challenge, Dan Glass says, is, "We tried to put together a very different and exciting chase that's not with a car but with a vast truck and trailers which tears through city streets. Meanwhile, there are characters trying to get on to it, then hijack it and so forth. There are a number of exciting gags, and just trying to figure out the balance between visual and practical effects, planning for that, and the closure of vast areas of Downtown Vancouver in the process. It was a complex process and an exciting challenge."

The convoy sequence, says Dan Glass, "is a car chase with a tanker really driving through a city! And trying to get a lot of story into that convoy as well as action is what made it particularly interesting. It's dynamic and exciting and keeps the tensions and humor up in the movie."

As did the first, "Deadpool 2" filmed a number of sequences in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. Location manager Ann Goobie and the production worked closely with the City for three months of planning. "The City of Vancouver was really terrific about helping us," she says, "They were very cooperative." On one of the convoy sequence days, four of the busiest blocks in the city were closed and the production employed 32 officers from the Vancouver Police Department as well as 90 additional production assistants to help with the "lock up." That day was one of the biggest, if not biggest, film shoot days in Vancouver movie history. As Goobie says, "It was the mother of all lockdowns!"

"Deadpool 2" filmed in the province of British Columbia, Canada. In addition to the streets of Downtown Vancouver, Riverview Hospital, and the Port Mann Substation, a number of interior sets were also filmed at Mammoth Studios in Burnaby. The X-Mansion scenes were filmed at Royal Roads University near Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Dressed For Superhero Success

Costume designers Kurt Swanson & Bart Mueller most recently designed costumes for "Ghost in the Shell" and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" - Parts 1 and 2. Kurt says he loved Deadpool's costume from the first film and that, "Ryan Reynolds didn't want to mess with that too much." Fans probably won't recognise the slight modifications, he says, which include a slight change to the pattern of the red on the suit: "We made it a bit shiner, stuff like that. We added brushed metal to his gloves and belt and greaves." Bart Mueller adds, "The biggest changes were functional changes."

As for Cable, Kurt says, "The script dictated a lot. We get to see him in this future setting, which is great because it's more the sci-fi soldier kind of thing. But he is coming from the future back to present day in what we called his travel suit. Once he gets here, he has no clothing so he ends up getting it from the Army-Navy store, cobbling together not only weapons, but also his outfits. He has very basic things – his T-shirt, military pants, boots, all of that – that fall in line with who Cable is in the comics. The most iconic thing about him, really, is his silver arm." Cable's cybernetic arm is a visual effect. Bart Mueller says, "The whole silhouette ended up looking super, remaining true to the icon of the comic."

Kurt Swanson recalls showing their initial Domino concepts to Ryan Reynolds. "I don't think we necessarily just wanted her in the shiny black catsuit, like she's drawn. When Ryan Reynolds first came in and saw some of the designs we'd done he thought she looked very slick, which is also how she looks in the comics. He wanted to introduce her to the world as a much more rogue character and have more of a street-cred thing." Bart Mueller says, "The aesthetic feels earthy. It's soulful and there's something kind of retro about it, too. I think she's a knockout." Zazie Beetz says, "I love how she looks, but I don't think people realize that wearing her outfit is massively uncomfortable. Every part of my body fought that suit. My knees and feet hurt, and it was hard to breathe. I did stunts with a boned corset on – there was no stretch, it was all leather, so there was no breathing. Everything was tight."

There were a huge number of background performers to dress for the prison scenes. Bart Mueller says, "It's always fun when you're doing something like the prison, where you can use your background to be part of the set in a way because everybody's wearing the same thing. It's also really interesting to see how different characters would wear the same costume in a different way." Kurt Swanson says, "The first film seemed like this scrappy little film, I think it's one of the things that really appealed to the fans. And I think that spirit is in this film." Bart Mueller adds, "Even just the creation of X-Force, it's a way scrappier bunch, cobbled together. It's not the super slick." Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller worked closely with production designer David Scheunemann. When they joined the production, work was already underway to design the characters and the overall look of the film.

"David [Scheunemann] is a great collaborator," says Bart Mueller. "He was working closely with one of our favorite concept artists [Stian Dahlslett]. So even though we hadn't worked together before, we kind of shared a language. There was an immediate and fluid exchange of visual ideas." Bart Mueller adds, "What I love about David [Leitch] is this is a big action comedy, but it's super important for him to have visually super strong film. With Sela and David Scheunemann, it's really stylized and it doesn't look like a regular big action comedy."

Makeup designer, Bill Corso, had also worked on the first film, during which the Wade Wilson scar make up could take up to four hours to apply. For "Deadpool 2," he redesigned and reengineered Ryan Reynolds's make up so it could be applied in one hour and 45 minutes.

Because Cable's body is being attacked by a cybernetic organism, parts of him are mechanised and robotic, and his look is a hybrid of traditional make up and CG. Josh Brolin's makeup application took several hours every day. Corso says, "Cable's a soldier who's been through battles and war, so we wanted to give a little grit and reality to it, which is obviously something that Josh brings to the role." As the look of Cable was being designed, all the key creatives weighed in: wardrobe, props, weapons, stunts. Corso quips, "We created a character that's essentially designed to destroy a makeup! Josh Brolin had a whole fake neck on, all robotic. He wore straps and gun belts and flipped around." He adds, "A lot of our job was creating a work of art in the morning, and the rest of the day, chasing it and repairing it and trying to make it look like a work of art until the end of the day."

The gun Cable builds in "Deadpool 2" was inspired by a beloved toy that prop master Dan Sissons always wanted to have as a kid. Dan Sissons says, "It had seven functions, and we thought it would be fun if Cable's weapons had seven functions as well."

When Cable travels to our time, his futuristic weapon doesn't work. So he loads up at an army surplus store, and builds his own weapon from a 50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle; a Thompson machine gun; an AK-47; a vector; a 9mm submachine gun; grenade launchers; scopes; sites; high capacity flashlight; and many other things. The most important device on the weapon is the power knob – it normally goes to 10, but Cable has adapted it to 11!

The actual gun weighed 28 pounds and was difficult to hold. Subsequently, a lighter version was fashioned out of rubber, weighing 14 pounds. Ultimately, a third version was made, which was much easier to maneuver, and it weighed seven pounds. All three versions make appearances in the movie, depending on the action.

Action!

Stunt coordinator Jonathan "Jojo" Eusebio met David Leitch years ago in martial arts school. When David Leitch went into stunts, Jonathan Eusebio followed. He says, "David Leitch is my mentor in martial arts and in the movie business, too. Everything we do is based on our martial arts background. You see a lot of its influence in all of David Leitch's work."

Eusebio appreciated working with Ryan Reynolds. "Half or three quarters of the obstacles we face are designing the action. So it's always nice to have someone that's in shape and ready to do things. It makes our action quotient higher because they can actually do the stuff we make." Jonathan Eusebio notes that Deadpool's moves were established in the first film. "He has healing factors, so he approaches everything with reckless abandon. He's very agile and flashy and does a lot of tricks and acrobatic moves. At the same time as being elegant, he's very vicious and visceral. His fighting style was established, so what we tried to do was up the ante. He has everything a good assassin needs: good weapons, firearms and an inability to get hurt. It helps, and it freed everything up for us."

""Deadpool 2" is bigger, crazier, more expensive, than the first," says Jonathan Eusebio. "All of the set pieces are three times what you saw in the first one. The challenge is to always do something you haven't done before and keep everything new and dynamic."

Deadpool 2
Release Date: May 16th, 2018