'Once Upon a Deadpool' Charity: This Movie Is Real, and for a Good Cause
by Eric FranciscoWade Wilson is kidnapping Fred Savage, for a good cause. This December, 20th Century Fox will re-release Deadpool 2 as a tamer PG-13 movie with some totally new footage, including a new framing device that pays homage to the 1987 fantasy classic The Princess Bride. (Watch the video above.)
But the re-release of the film isn’t just a quick cash grab. As per a demand made by Ryan Reynolds himself, $1 of every ticket sold will be donated to the charity Fuck Cancer, which is briefly naming itself “Fudge Cancer” as part of the film’s PG-13 rating.
On Monday, the trailer for Once Upon a Deadpool was released, which emphasizes new footage and Fred Savage playing himself in a hilarious recreation of his bedtime story scenes from The Princess Bride. The trailer also mocks 20th Century Fox’s license of Marvel, with Savage being savage: “Kinda prefer Marvel movies,” Savage says.
“We are Marvel,” Deadpool insists.
“Yeah, but,” Savage quips, “You’re Marvel licensed by Fox. It’s like the Beatles were produced by Nickelback. It’s music, but it sucks.”
Deadpool is getting roasted, but at least it’s for charity. Deadpool, a mainstream comic book character whose origin story involves being a cancer survivor, is donating part of the film’s gross to Fuck Cancer, an organization “dedicated to prevention, early detection and providing emotional support and guidance to those affected by cancer.” Among its board members includes a rival superhero, Stephen Amell, who stars in the DC television series Arrow.
In an interview with Deadline, Reynolds insisted that the film be released as part of a charity drive.
“Fox has been asking for a PG-13 basically since the start in 2006,” Reynolds said. “I’ve said no since 2006. Now, this one time, I said ‘Yes’ on two conditions. First, a portion of the proceeds had to go to charity. Second, I wanted to kidnap Fred Savage.” He joked that “The second condition took some explaining.”
It’s good to know that no matter how foul Deadpool’s mouth is, he still has a pure heart of gold.
Once Upon a Deadpool will be released in theaters on December 14.