The ending of Deadpool & Wolverine could’ve been a lot less dramatic if it weren’t for Blake Lively. Yup, you read that right—her idea totally changed the course of the film’s final moments, and the result is way more emotional.
Originally, the movie ended with Deadpool and Wolverine (Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman) saving the world and walking off into the sunset. It was a classic “hero survives” moment, but Lively thought it could be more intense. In the final version, Deadpool and Wolverine appear to sacrifice themselves in a heroic move to destroy the Time Ripper, leaving their fates uncertain. Just as Matthew Macfadyen’s character, Paradox, delivers an emotional speech, the scene takes a dramatic turn—Deadpool and Wolverine make a surprise return, all while the iconic Goo Goo Dolls song “Iris” plays in the background, making their comeback even more unforgettable.
According to director Shawn Levy, it was the It Ends With Us star’s suggestion that changed everything and resulted in a redo.
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“And credit where credit is due. It used to be that there was no suspense, that the power room blew up, and our heroes had survived. And it was Blake Lively who said to us, ‘You know, I’ve been with you this whole movie. I want to sit in the fear that they’re lost. Let me be in that place of suspense so the triumph of their survival is more emotional and visceral,'” Levy says on the director’s commentary release of the film, according to Games Radar.
He continued, “That was a Blake note and it really opened up a new way of thinking about this part of the movie and it’s why we did this reshoot… and, here, the payoff is so much more satisfying.”
Even Reynolds, who was also a producer on the film, chimed in on the reshoots.
“We did just a day-and-a-half of reshoots on the movie, which we’re very proud of,” he said. “These kinds of movies typically involve weeks of reshoots. But this speech that Matthew has is one of the pieces that we reshot. And he is miraculous.”
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Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters on July 26 and made a massive $1.3 billion at the box office. Lively’s bestie, Taylor Swift, even shared a sweet and funny message supporting the film.
So for the naysayers, here’s proof that working with your spouse can lead to some seriously great results.
