'Deadpool' Reynolds bitching in China despite of injury

Canadian-American actor and filmmaker Ryan Reynolds poses with a legion of Deadpool cosplayers on the red carpet at a press conference held in Beijing to promote "Once Upon a Deadpool," Jan. 20, 2019. [Photo/China.org.cn]

"Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds suddenly landed in Beijing on Sunday to promote the PG-13 edited version of "Deadpool 2," after canceling planned surgery in New York.

"It's been a dream of mine for years to bring 'Deadpool' to China and to Chinese audiences, so, for me, this is, uh, heaven on earth," he told his fans in Beijing.

Reynolds explained he had injured his left arm while filming, and was scheduled to have surgery on the injury in New York on Sunday morning. However, learning he had the chance to visit China, he decided to skip the appointment. "This was more important. I was not going to miss coming to China," he said.

Last week, 20th Century Fox suddenly announced the new, re-edited PG-13 version of "Deadpool 2" would hit the Chinese market on January 25.

The import of "Deadpool 2" to China was a surprise for many industry observers and fans, since the original was notoriously blood-splattered and full of bad language that could not possibly have survived local censorship.

However, a "clean" version, cutting out R-rated scenes and reshooting some new scenes to be inserted, was produced and renamed "Once Upon a Deadpool" in the United States where it was released during Christmas season. This version easily won approval from Chinese film authorities without the need for any cuts.

In China, the film's Chinese title is literally "Deadpool 2: I Love My Family," amusingly borrowing the subtitle from a hugely popular local Chinese family sitcom broadcast in the 1990s.

Ryan Reynolds poses with a fan-made poster handed to him by a fan on the red carpet at a press conference held in Beijing to promote "Once Upon a Deadpool," Jan. 20, 2019. [Photo/China.org.cn]

In Beijing, Reynolds described the character of Deadpool as the most unconventional superhero and "probably the funniest of all the Marvel superheroes in regard to over-the-top action. However, he's also got a real instinct to try and be a better person and trying to fit in somewhere, always in an underdog position.

"So, making it was just so much fun because of the way he looks, because of the way he behaves, we get to say and do all these things that no other Marvel character can do. And for me, that's just the ultimate privilege in [my] career, to have a character that completely relates to everywhere."

The actor and producer also revealed that he was obsessed with Deadpool after reading a comic book and spent 10 years trying to get Deadpool onto the screen. He kept writing to 20th Century Fox, only to have the studio keep saying "no," until they finally gave him the go-ahead in 2016.

"I have a book at home called the 'Deadpool Book of No,' that has all my emails with Fox," revealed Reynolds laughingly.

Now, he is preparing for "Deadpool 3," and, after he learning he was nicknamed "Xiao Jianjian" by his Chinese fans based on Deadpool's characteristics and meaning "Little Bitchy Bitch," he joked: "How about just calling the next installment 'Deadpool 3: Little Bitchy Bitch'?" This drew cheers from the Chinese fans at the promotional event.

However, the fate of the project remains in the balance after Disney's purchase of 20th Century Fox, and holding the X-Men rights. Disney is famously a family-oriented company, so they would surely think very carefully before producing any bloody superhero movies.

Reynolds also revealed he and his team are "looking to go in a completely different direction" with the next movie, again joking: "Often, they reboot or change a character maybe, like, four movies too late."

Reportedly, the "Once Upon a Deadpool" version is under close scrutiny by Disney and Marvel Studios, and the new parent company may seek to integrate the character into the PG-13 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) under Disney.

Interestingly, Reynolds recorded a short video of his Deadpool character bitching about those PG-13 superheroes before he came to China, "Yes, I know it's taken a while, but I'm finally coming to China. I heard that all the boring superheroes like Wolverine, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Batman went to the usual spots -- the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, a few roast duck restaurants. What a bunch of lemmings. Well, not me. I'm gonna meet the Monkey King, the Pandas in Chengdu, and the Dragon King in his undersea crystal palace. Don't you try to stop me!"

Later at the press conference, he joked that he would love to have a verbal duel with "Star-Lord" Peter Quill from the Guardians of the Galaxy or enjoy a punch-up with Captain America after Deadpool reunites with MCU superheroes.