20 Facts About Ryan Reynolds' Films That You Might Not Know About
Did you know that there was almost a Deadpool x Bambi film?
Ryan Reynolds has built a career out of quick wit, sharp timing, and a knack for turning even messy projects into pop culture talking points. Along the way, his movies have picked up strange behind-the-scenes stories, unexpected connections, and a few wild near-misses that most fans never hear about.
From superhero roles and animated hits to cult comedies and box office misfires, his filmography is full of odd little details that make the bigger picture even more interesting. Some of these facts involve casting changes, production chaos, or jokes hidden in plain sight, and they all add another layer to the actor's long run in Hollywood.
Here are 20 Ryan Reynolds movie facts that make his career even more fun to revisit.
1. Pokemon Detective Pikachu
Although the film seems like a standalone project, it might actually be the third film in a series, depending on how you look at it.
That's because the end of the film confirms that it's a sequel to Pokemon: The First Movie, meaning that Ash and Reynolds' Pikachu could have actually met.
Additionally, it also kind of confirms that it's a sequel to Home Alone. This is because Pokemon Detective Pikachu features a scene with Angels with Filthy Souls, a film that only exists in the Home Alone universe.
2. Deadpool
Deadpool's Vanessa could have actually been quite different because, before X-Men: Apocalypse ended the Fox series, Olivia Munn was in the running for the role of Vanessa. However, she decided to play Psylocke instead, who in the comics is a blind white woman that bodyswaps with an Asian woman possessing ninja skills.
3. Green Lantern
Green Lantern had the potential to be good, but due to studio interference, it became a botched and scrambled film that made little sense. The worst part is that it all began even before shooting took place.
Despite being one of Reynolds' most well-known roles, Green Lantern almost went to Bradley Cooper, which was the preference of director Martin Campbell. This may have contributed to the alleged animosity on set.
4. Adventureland
Apparently, there's a real place called Adventureland, and director Greg Mottola wanted to film there. Unfortunately, it had changed too much since he worked there, so they had to change sets.
Despite that, the film was still scheduled to premiere on the date the park opened.
5. Free Guy
The villain of the film, Antwan, is based on a real executive to whom the director pitched the film. And yes, he turned it down.
6. Waiting
The movie, which revolves around wait staff and a day in their lives, had some strange foreshadowing involving Chris Pratt.
The manager's full name is Daniel Christopher Pratt, which is almost the same as the star's name. Moreover, the host of the training video in the film frequently acts as Chris Pratt's body double.
What was Chris Pratt doing amidst all this? Oh, not much.
7. Buried
The film, which entirely takes place in a coffin, was made as a love letter to Hitchcock and his thriller style.
8. Van Wilder
Kal Penn was actually a fan of the film. He even hung up on his agent after discovering the name of his character, "Taj Mahal." However, he needed the credits to pad his resume.
9. Blade: Trinity
Reynolds was undeniably one of the better parts of the film; however, what many audience members didn't know is that the actual lead star was having a full-blown war with the director. It got to the point where Wesley Snipes would only communicate with the director through handwritten notes signed "Blade."
That was only after he allegedly strangled the director, of course.
Also, if you’re craving a comeback, Jason Biggs’ candid update on American Pie 5 hits hard.
10. The Croods
The Croods is an all-ages children's film; however, one of the writer-directors, Chris Sanders, who is also the creator of Lilo & Stitch, has some less-than-all-ages work, including a lot of pin-ups.
What are those pin-ups? Well, one of them would be something like if you wanted to see a character from The Croods naked, he's got you covered.
11. The Croods: The New Age
Originally, the film was going to focus on Ugga and motherhood, featuring the crew from the first film, but it was canceled. Later on, it was relaunched as a completely separate film.
12. Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
Harold and Kumar is a movie about stoners going to White Castle, and like all comedy stoner flicks, there are bound to be fart jokes. Unfortunately, the sound designer just couldn't get the fart sounds right, so what did he do?
He went to a truck stop bathroom and recorded them there.
13. The Amityville Horror
Despite being one of the most famous horror stories of all time, The Amityville Horror is actually much faker than other horror films. While there was a murder on the site, most of the haunting stories were fabricated.
Fake claims were made by real people who later swore affidavits stating they never even visited the house. And the murders?
The murderer made it up with the new family that moved in. Despite all that, it has been remade 23 times and counting.
14. Smokin' Aces
15. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The only reason Reynolds is in the film is that he desperately wanted to be Deadpool.
See, the film was made during a writer's strike and was simply a trash fire visible from space, so Reynolds felt blackmailed into doing it because if he said no to Origins, he'd be saying goodbye to Deadpool forever.
16. Life
Before the film came out, many people thought it was a prequel to Venom due to the similarities in elements. Despite that, it's a standalone movie written by former Venom writers.
In a way, it can be viewed as a prequel, given that the Venom film begins with the Life Foundation recovering an alien goo symbiote from a crashed astronaut ship.
17. The Nines
The film is actually scriptwriter John August's directorial debut and is not at all like his previous films. The writer's former credits include Charlie's Angels, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Corpse Bride.
18. Criminal
This is Reynolds' sixth time playing a character whose body and brain get swapped, following the films Self/less, Detective Pikachu, Boltneck, R.I.P.D., and The Change-Up.
19. Ordinary Magic
If only Ryan Reynolds could go back in time and fix all his mistakes. Sadly, he can't, and this movie is still out there where he plays a magical Indian child named Ganesh.
20. The Deadpool Film That Never Happened
Before there was Korg x Deadpool, Reynolds actually tried to make a Deadpool x Bambi film.
"I wanted to do a short film of Deadpool interrogating the hunter who killed Bambi's mom. But the whole gist of it is that Deadpool is actually just a huge fan."
For some reason, all these facts about Reynolds' films make us like him a little bit more, especially those bits about Deadpool. It's definitely his most iconic role, and we love just how dedicated he is to it.
Now, you're equipped with a few more facts about Ryan Reynolds, and you can share these facts with whoever you're watching his films with. Enjoy!
For more Ryan Reynolds-adjacent chaos, see how Ryan Gosling’s daughters added “funny” twists on Project Hail Mary.
