Back in 2014, a two-minute reel of test footage featuring Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool suddenly appeared on the internet. The audience reaction sparked an eventual billion-dollar trilogy, but who put the clip online?
Now, Ryan Reynolds himself has admitted to one of Hollywood's worst-kept secrets: he was the one who did the deed.
"I'd shot test footage for it a couple years before, and the studio just didn't want anything to do with it," Reynolds said during a talk at Toronto International Film Festival (via Entertainment Weekly).
"Yes, I cheated a little, but I think I was onto something that people would be interested in. And I'm grateful that I listened to that instinct, and I'm grateful that I did the wrong thing in that moment."
Reynolds also recalled doubts over the 'leak', joking that he thought it could be "punishable by law." However, it all worked out in the end, as the first Deadpool movie was greenlit "24 hours later."
Does crime pay? For Reynolds and Fox/Disney, it certainly did. The first Deadpool grossed $782 million, Deadpool 2 took in $785 million, and Deadpool and Wolverine crossed the billion-dollar mark back in 2024.
The test footage itself showcased all the Deadpool trademarks that would appear in that trilogy: fourth-wall breaks, hard-hitting action, and more than a dash of meta in-jokes that would prove to be the Merc with a Mouth's on-screen calling card in the years since.
Something that hasn't leaked is whether Deadpool will appear in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, with an initial report that Ryan Reynolds would be joining the cast quickly being debunked.
For more, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies. Then dive into our ranking of the best superhero movies ever made.
