Have you heard Deadpool, the cult favourite comic book character is getting his own movie?

To many X-Men, and comic book movie fans in general, this is big news. Ryan Reynolds is attached to star and it’s getting its own place in the X-Universe. So all is bright for Deadpool.

However, things weren’t always quite this rosy for the ‘Merc with a Mouth.

After X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and a very unpopular change to the character, it seemed like the tide of opinion had changed with Fox Executives regarding a Deadpool movie. It seemed like the idea was scrapped.

Undaunted Ryan Reynolds, and director Tim Miller, put together a reel of test footage for the executives at Fox to show them what their Deadpool movie would look like. Here’s what they produced: Deadpool Test Footage

It wasn’t enough to change minds of the executives and the idea was shelved…that is until, that test footage leaked “mysteriously” onto the internet and it. went. bananas. It was getting social media likes, left right, and centre; online entertainment publications were writing articles about how cool the footage was and how it looked like it could make an amazing movie.

For a few weeks, almost all of movie fandom was united in their desire to see what Miller and Reynolds could do with a Deadpool movie.

And…it worked. Eventually, the executives gave in. Tim Miller said, at the San Diego Comic-Con that when approached by the executives at Fox about making the movie following that footage’s success they said something along the lines of “So, do you want to make it?” And his response was an emphatic “Um, yes!”

So why does any of that matter? Especially if you’re not a Deadpool fan?

Kumbaya (or why we all need to go see Deadpool)

Because executives, and not just from Fox either, are going to be watching to see how successful Deadpool becomes.

Will the fans, so loud and adamant in their support for the movie on the internet, match their passion with dollars? Because, after all, that’s all that matters to these companies: will the movie make money?

Non-Deadpool fans might say that if the movie underperforms it will only affect the chances of it getting a sequel.

I think they’d be wrong.

It will not only affect Deadpool, but more critically it will reduce the power of fan voices, because executives won’t be able to trust that those voices would turn into actual monetary support for their projects.

Put simply: what good is online buzz if it doesn’t translate into a return on these companies’ investment?

And this is why EVERYONE needs to go see Deadpool; we need to prove that as a community we are powerful. If we want something, and it’s done, we’ll reward them with success to encourage the next in line to do what we want.

If we don’t come together in support of Deadpool we will lose more than just a sequel…we lose our power.

If Deadpool fails there’s almost no chance fan demands will result in an Avatar reboot not directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

There’ll be no chance, that despite massive success from blu-ray sales, the Dredd sequel will ever see the light of day.

These are just a few examples…but think of your own fandom: Firefly, or My Little Pony, or Marvel; if Deadpool doesn’t succeed, who knows how long it’ll take for executives to give the fans another chance.

We need to come together and support Deadpool, even if he’s not your favourite character, not because you care about Deadpool but to keep the attention of the executives whose job it is to ensure their companies make money.

Fans are powerful.

Buy a ticket to see Deadpool…and let’s keep it that way.