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Schuler Donner Says 'X-Men 4' is Coming and 'Deadpool' is R-Rated

by Ethan Anderton
March 28, 2011
Source: The Playlist

With the prequel X-Men: First Class taking off on June 3 this summer, it's been pretty well assumed that anymore installments continuing the X-Men franchise following Brett Ratner's disastrous final installment The Last Stand, were out of the question. However, franchise producer Lauren Schuler Donner has revealed that a fourth and even fifth installment in the franchise isn't out of the question. She says, "We took the treatment to Fox and they love it. And X4 leads into X5,” That's all she had to say about the team of mutant superheroes, but she did have a little more to say on that Deadpool adaptation starring Ryan Reynolds.

Empire (via The Playlist) uncovered the news in their latest issue, and for the Merc with a Mouth, it sounds like an R-rated adaptation of Deadpool is still being planned. We know Reynolds has expressed his loyalty to the project whenever he can fit it into his schedule, but Donner's words on the project are promising too. She says, "It’s a total reboot. We're either going to pretend that didn't happen, or mock it, which he could do. It’s insane, it’s definitely comedy. But it’s an R script, it’s really irreverent and violent. Right away, we’re out of the X-Men world.” By reboot she obviously means that we won't have to worry about what X-Men Origins: Wolverine did to sully the name of Deadpool and the films couldn't be more different in tone and execution.

Sounds like good news all around for Marvel fans, but anything can happen. I'm not so sure Fox is willing to take the risk of planning an R-rated tentpole, even if it includes established intellectual property and Ryan Reynolds. Studios are still being very careful and safe in their project choices, and only time will tell if we'll actually see Deadpool get off the ground. As for the X-Men franchise, another sequel is a no-brainer, but I hope it can recover gracefully from the universe shaking events of X-Men: The Last Stand. What do you think?

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

Anonymous

Come on, FOX, you have more than enough money. Take some fucking risks and go with the R-rating!
Teacherkid

As long as Ryan Reynolds gets shirtless & uses that smart-mouth of him, I don't care what the Hell they do with Deadpool. But I'm a chick... so that's my job.
- Teacherkid
  
  Can we just please stop butchering the X-Men franchise? All around? Please?
- TheSaint
  
  That is just a terrible thing to say.
Mattmarklukejohn

i like x men last stand..maybe cause I wasn't into the comic book. but i liked it and i think everyone is being a little hard on that movie..it brought everything to a head and I loved it.
- Scott
  
  i never really read the comics until the second film, but i used to watch the animated version. That being said xmen last stand was an utter mess. too much all at once just because ratner wanted to and the fact that it the characters didn't seem to make any sense for being in the film. It just was very different compared to the other 2 before it and truthfully i think that writers (as well as actors, directors should have to sign a contract saying they have to be there for three films no ifs ands or buts.)
- SDotKillsALot
  
  Watching Last Stand was like sucking a smelly fart out of a dirty butthole... Complete garbage and nonsense.
- thisdude
  
  I completely agree. While maybe not as great as the 2nd, IMO The last stand is real nice! I watch the movie and really don't get why people complain. But also, I wasn't a pre-movies x-men fan. However, I'm sure Fox (especially Schuler Donner) know what they're doing (most of the time), so I'm excited for the potential of X-men 4.
falo

How exactly are they going to do an X-men 4 without most of what made the x-men team (at least in the movies), ie without professor X, Jean grey, cyclops and Rouge? Wouldn't it end up as being just Wolverine and Storm (excluding the younger x-men which were never that interesting)
- Mac-306
  
  X-Men 4 would have the professor, and Rouge back. At the end of the end credits there was a cliffhanger where it was revealed that the professor has gotten into the head of his brother (who has been incapacitated all his life due to the professor's mutation while sharing their mom's stomach. Rogue took the cure, but the cure has been proven that it is temporary (Magneto moving the chess metallic piece). They can bring back cyclops, but only a GOOD explanation could do it. Jean is dead. So yeah, it could work, if they bring all the actors back like the Fast and the Furious movies.
http://twitter.com/UrbanEnigma Yves

Marvel hasn't done a good R-rated film adaptation of one of their properties since 2004's 'The Punisher'. I really hope Deadpool will end that drought
- Sykogod
  
  Also, Punisher: War Zone in 08 was R
  - Anonymous
    
    haha Yves said good r-rated adaptation
    - http://twitter.com/UrbanEnigma Yves
      
      Basically. 'Punisher: War Zone' was just absolutely terrible. No offense to Ray Stevenson as an actor, but Thomas Jane fit the role way better
Anonymous

Bring on Deadpool. X-Men 4? Meh...
Joshua

well comic books have one offs and disregard entire plots, why can't movies?
Angrogue23

Really excited about this news. Of course, Im talking about X4. Something good is coming, specially with the hands of Singer.
Voice of Reason

I'd want them to continue the X-Men series where the 3rd left off. Make it all cohesive, even if everyone hated the 3rd (frankly, i kinda liked it) ....plus Marsden clearly needs a better career path, although somehow I wouldn't be surprised if they re-casted a lot of the major roles.
http://twitter.com/Claudio_Carreon Claudio Carreon

I'm up for Deadpool, with a fourth wall breaking Renolds.
Lagoya

X4 -> Cable. Bishop. Sentinels. Nuff said...
Anonymous

I don't know if X4 sounds great... X3 was kind of "odd" to say the least. But the ending of X3 keeps me thinking that a sequel could worth the trouble. SPOILER ALERT FOR X3 (if anyone didn't see it): Magneto didn't loose his powers so that's awesome and after the credits that doctor said "Charles?" which I think it means that professor X is still in business. Oh, and yes! please for the R-rated Deadpool!
Mooreworthyfitness

Blade and blade 2 really kicked @$$ as a rated R comic flick. It can be done.
ThSaint

The Deadpool movie is going to be AWESOME!!!!!
Big Boss

X4, great. Now we can see an even OLDER Magneto.
Jericho

YEAH BABY DEADPOOL ALL THE WAY, NOW I CAN SAY YOU COMIC HEROES CAN ALL SUCK IT FOR SOME REAL ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!!!!!
http://the-pop-culture-junkie.blogspot.com/ Armand

It really amazes me at how some of you have no clue as to what you're saying. The notion of being a tiny voice in the world wide web gets the general public to muster a half decent comment simply irks me. 1. Most of you are comparing movies from different studios. Lionsgate owns the movie rights to The Punisher. So it was a risk that they took to run it as an R-Rated movie. So was Blade. New Line Cinema owns Blade and New Line Cinema is a subsidiary of its bigger sister Warner Bros. Fox owns the X-Men, and if you guys knew any better Fox is a conglomerate where making money is their main KPI. So for them to risk a super hero movie and giving it an R-Rating is just a bad business move on their end. By making it a PG-13 movie, Fox will ensure the movie does well in the cinemas, mostly due to the fact that they know kids will flock the cinemas to watch the movie. It's all about quantity rather than quality. Good example. Star Wars Episode I, II, and III. Why do you think they cramped a whole lot of nonsense in the movie? Why did George Lucas destroy the only good thing he's every contributed to the world? To target the mass. They had Sam Jackson as a jedi to appeal to the African-American community. They had Amidala change wardrobe on numerous occasions to attract more female moviegoers. And the pod race? That's just to sell toys which to me has no relevance to the story arc whatsoever. 2. X-Men 3 was utter rubbish; from a fan boy point of view as well as a movie goer. It had no real storyline, no character development, no nothing. It was an utter mess. I do occasionally enjoy a brain dead no holds bar over the top action movies but not like what X-Men 3 was. The Expendables was such a movie; an all action, no brainer thrill ride. But funny thing is i was invested in the characters. I could share and feel the emotions of what Mickey's character was going thru (even if it was shallow and hollow). My point being; a good movie doesn't have to be an Oscar contender. It just has to be entertaining enough, with you wanting to follow the characters thru that journey they're embarking on and X-Men 3 had nothing of sorts. Who gives a crap about Wolverine anyway? After 2 Wolverine centered X-men movies do we really need the third one to be about him again? The X-Men franchise has a lot to overcome and a lot to prove. My best bet would be for Marvel Studios to buy back the rights and make the movies themselves. Who better to get it right than the people who birthed the X-Men and actually know the source material. If you think I'm wrong, feel free to email me. I'll be waiting for the hate mails to pour in...
Duck

Deadpool better not have lasers coming out of his eyes again
Jackson

Since when did people even know who Deadpool is? I feel as if he's so far out of the mainstream consciousness that any film with him as a central character, R-rated or PG-13, wouldn't succeed very well. Take a lesson from the Green Hornet. Not many know, therefore not many care.
- Takumitrueno86
  
  Marvel vs. Capcom 3 boosted Deadpool's awareness.
  - fearlless
    
    Oooh, that's a lot? Everyone doesn't play video games. Making a video game & a movie are two totally different fields. You can't expect someone to be really aware of who or what he is, let alone care for some "mutant." Wolverine was smart because he has a large fan base. Hes been a well known character for years even if people did refer to him as the thing with claws who can heal himself.
Cyclops

The only way there is going to be a next X-Men is to REBOOT it. Scratch the background story and jump straight to action with a megaboss...and dump Magneto pleez...he's getting really boring. Bring back Professor X, Cyclops and Jean. And change the actor of Cylops with someone who can act. There's a lot of Cyclops in the X-Men world than was shown in the movies. As for Deadpools...who cares...i dunno who he is until i watch Wolverine Origin.
fearlless

I love the idea of X4 & X5 but I never honestly gave a shit about Deadpool #shootme
Jasonerick Folds957

I would love to see a sequal or 2 to the X-Men series. Also,I like Deadpool, and it would be cool to see a movie about him, but Im just a kid and I dont think it should be rated R, because then I wouldnt be able to see it... which would suck.
Oliverfrsn78

i dont mind if they make a Deadpool movie as long as he's a FUCKING IDIOT.
Oliverfrsn78

for people who don't know who deadpool is watch "wolverine vs hulk". Deadpool was deadpool.