This weekend, “Deadpool” and “Wolverine” could have the biggest movie debuts of the year. But would it have the same impact if Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was left out of the title? We’ll never know because Ryan Reynolds changed the title of Deadpool 3 thanks to the immediate backlash it received.
Reynolds and Jackman appeared as guest hosts on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” via Yahoo Movies UK. During the interview, Reynolds revealed that the original title was Deadpool and Friends, a cheeky way to acknowledge Wolverine without saying his name. But when fans heard the title, their reaction was almost always negative.
“The headline gave it away,” Reynolds recalled. “We watched and listened, and they hated the title. We didn’t feel that good about it anymore.”
According to Reynolds, he had to insist on changing the title before Marvel finally agreed to do so. “We were like, ‘No, we’re going to change the title, I’m never going to call this movie ‘Deadpool and Friends.’ And they did, they actually changed the title,” Reynolds said.
One of the reasons Marvel is reluctant to change the name is that the studio has already begun producing promotional materials titled “Deadpool” and “Friends.” That includes the 9,000 people who will be transported to the theater.
Deadpool and Wolverine are in theaters now. As you’d expect, it’s packed with cameos from Marvel movies of the past 25 years.
