Kevin Feige — Producer and President, Marvel Studios — has crafted a universe of 34 films, numerous blockbusters (totaling roughly $30 billion worldwide), and countless box office records. However, one thing that Feige never imagined was creating a Deadpool film for The Walt Disney Company.
That changes this weekend when Deadpool & Wolverine — bringing together Ryan Reynolds’ “Merc with a Mouth” and Hugh Jackman’s iconic Wolverine — hits theaters around the world.
We spoke with Feige to learn more about the film, what it means to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how Deadpool & Wolverine represents a full circle moment for him.
How does Deadpool & Wolverine strengthen the MCU brand?
Well, I will tell you, nothing strengthens the Marvel Cinematic Universe or perhaps any cinematic universe like a great movie. A great movie is the answer to many cinematic universe issues, and Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman and our director, Shawn Levy, have made a great movie.
This is a full circle moment for you. You were a producer on the original X-Men film 24 years ago. What was it like to work with Hugh and Wolverine again after all this time?
It was amazing. The very first producer credit I ever received was on the first X-Men film as an associate producer — sort of a lower level on the on the producer ladder — and I couldn’t have been more excited to have been a part of it from start to finish. In many ways, I thought, “This is the peak of my career now. I’ve done it. I’m an associate producer on an X-Men movie.” And I’ve been very lucky to have been able to grow and evolve and to bring even more of our characters to life.
We didn’t have the rights to the X-Men characters for a very long time, and so we had to focus on what people know as the MCU now, with Iron Man and everybody in The Avengers. I hadn’t thought a lot about the X-Men until The Walt Disney Company purchased 21st Century Fox, and one of the many, many amazing things they received out of that was all the X-Men characters. So, suddenly our toy box that we had access to finally represented almost all of the comics, because there were giant sections of our classic comics that were X-Men that we couldn’t translate into the MCU. Now, we can.
So, looking back after 25 years and being on a set with Hugh again for the first time in over 20 years was absolutely an emotional full circle moment… And now with the rights to all those characters, I look at the journey ahead, and how amazing it is for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get an injection of thousands of new storylines and characters.
The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel in 2009. How has Disney helped you make the MCU what it is today?
I don’t think it’s any secret: The MCU would not be what it is today if Disney hadn’t purchased Marvel. We’d had a lot of success with the first Iron Man film, and that really set the tone for the way we wanted to make films. But the size of the undertaking of what the MCU became would not have been possible without the support of Bob Iger and The Walt Disney Company saying, “We like what you did with Iron Man, and we believe in your vision for the future.” At every step they’ve made the MCU what it is.
What was the approach to helping Deadpool fit into the Disney universe, but remain Deadpool?
The secret to integrating Deadpool into the Disney company is to let Deadpool be Deadpool.
You know, [he’s] the Merc with the mouth, [as] he’s called in the comics. You can’t take away his mouth unless you’re that movie he debuted in many years ago, X-Men Origins: Wolverine… People thought when Disney bought Marvel, “They’re going to shave off the hard edges. They’re going to make it all G-rated.”
Of course, that was never the intention. Bob Iger said in one of his first press conferences dealing with the acquisition of Fox, somebody asked, “Are you going to let Deadpool be R-rated?” And he said, “Yes. Next question.” So, we always knew that we were going to be able to be absolutely authentic to who Deadpool is.
What excites you most about the future of the MCU?
What I’m most excited about is people seeing Deadpool & Wolverine and seeing how emotional and poignant that relationship is, and that story is as it relates — not just to the two of them — but to the history of those Fox characters and of the X-Men characters. I think people are going to get at least hints at how we plan to build on that mutant saga going forward.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the 34th Marvel Studios film. What is the one thing you’ve learned throughout the years as the president of Marvel Studios?
If there’s a secret to 34 Marvel movies, it’s a secret that I learned on set of X-Men in 2000. When I saw the actors in full costume for the first time, and the rush that I felt and the enthusiasm that I felt and the chemical reaction that happened in my bones, saying, “If we can give the audience this feeling, we may be on to something.”
And at every turn in every movie, you need to have that moment where it feels like that and where you can take that experience you had reading a comic or that experience you had on set, and translate it onto a big screen with an audience, with as many people as possible. To me, continuing to learn and to think as a fan and as an audience member is the key to being a great creative producer.
You’ve been making these movies since 2008 — numerous blockbusters, countless box office records. Did you ever foresee making a Deadpool movie for The Walt Disney Company?
You know, there are some things where you don’t even dare to dream. When I saw Deadpool and Deadpool 2, I loved them, I thought they were great, and I thought that’s going to be a section of the world were never going to be able to play in — and now that we are, it just reminds me that that dreams do come true.
(Source: Disney)
