Once Upon a Deadpool

Once Upon a Deadpool is a reworked version of Deadpool 2, framed as a bedtime story. Fred Savage, the child actor from The Princess Bride, is brought back to listen as Ryan Reynolds's Wade Wilson recounts an adventure, and the telling becomes a playful tribute to that 1987 film about a grandfather reading to his grandson. The plot follows the same line as the earlier movie: a super-soldier arrives on a mission of vengeance, pushing Deadpool to weigh ideas of friendship, family and what being a hero actually means. The material has been softened for a PG-13 rating, with the harsher violence and crude language reduced, and scenes shot specifically for this version were added alongside the existing footage.

David Leitch directed, working from a screenplay by Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds and Paul Wernick, with Simon Kinberg and Reynolds producing. It sits directly after Deadpool 2 in Leitch's filmography, which runs from John Wick through Atomic Blonde to the later Hobbs & Shaw, Bullet Train and The Fall Guy. Reynolds leads as Wade Wilson, joined by Josh Brolin as Cable, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Julian Dennison as Firefist, Zazie Beetz as Domino and T.J. Miller as Weasel, among a credited cast of 66.

The film was released in December 2018 and runs 118 minutes. Made on a budget of 110 million dollars, it took in about 51 million dollars worldwide, a return reflecting its position as a limited seasonal theatrical run rather than a standalone release. On TMDB it holds a rating of 7.1 out of 10 from 869 votes.