Robert Schwentke To Direct Ryan Reynolds In R.I.P.D., Deadpool In More Trouble

We've known for a while now that Ryan Reynolds has become the man of the moment, scooping up projects left and right. The reason behind the surge is his role as the titular character in the upcoming Warner Bros. superhero film Green Lantern, which, next summer, should solidify Reynolds as a box office bomb (barring disaster). Sadly, because Reynolds has been collecting so many projects, the chances of us seeing a solo Deadpool movie are growing slimmer and slimmer. The newest reports don't help.

Deadline has announced that Robert Schwentke, who has been garnering major buzz thanks to the upcoming Bruce Willis-Helen Mirren action-comedy Red, has been tapped as the director of R.I.P.D., a comic book adaptation in which Reynolds is set to star. Schwentke was originally rumored for the job back in August. What will upset fans, however, is that the story says that Reynolds' schedule sees him currently filming The Change Up, a comedy with Jason Bateman; followed by Safe House with Denzel Washington; and then R.I.P.D. And that doesn't even include his commitments to Green Lantern 2, which is currently being written.

If Reynolds isn't involved, a Deadpool movie shouldn't be made, but I'm sure I speak for millions of fans when I say that I really want to see a Deadpool movie. The only highlight of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds has talked about his love of the character for years now and its a true shame that he's willing to put it on the back burner. But who knows. Perhaps he will wake up tomorrow, realize that people would much rather see a Deadpool film than R.I.P.D., cancel the contract, and give us all what we really want.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.