Ryan Reynolds Hunts The Dead In Netflix Action Horror
Ryan Reynolds has found his true calling as Deadpool since appearing as the non-mouth-sewn-shut version of the character in 2016. Of course, that was far from the first time that Reynolds has been in a comic book movie, with Green Lantern and Blade: Trinity being other notable examples. One overlooked comic book flick from Reynolds is the supernatural buddy cop comedy R.I.P.D, which you can go check out on Netflix.
R.I.P.D., aka R.I.P.D.: Rest in Peace Department, is an action comedy that co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as partners in the titular department, which is in charge of finding spirits who have tried to avoid the afterlife by hiding out amongst the living.
R.I.P.D., starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, is streaming on Netflix.
The two uncover a plot that could end all life and must work together to stop it from happening. Along with Reynolds and Bridges, the film stars Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie Szostak, and Marisa Miller.
R.I.P.D. was directed by Robert Schwentke and written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, based on the 1999 comic book by Peter M. Lenkov. Unfortunately, R.I.P.D. falls squarely in the category of bad comic book adaptations that Ryan Reynolds has starred in, as the film received largely negative reviews. On top of that, it was a box office bomb, only grossing $78 million on a $130 million budget.
Weirdly, there was actually a prequel film to R.I.P.D. released last year titled R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned. The film was direct-to-DVD and starred Jeffrey Donavan as a younger version of Bridges’ character.
Ryan Reynolds smartly avoided returning for this one because it wasn’t really something people were clamoring for, especially nearly a decade after the first film flopped.
R.I.P.D. is based on the comic book of the same name by Peter M. Lenkov, Lucas Marangon, and Randy Emberlin. In 2012 Lenkov wrote a sequel miniseries, R.I.P.D. City of the Damned.
In any case, Ryan Reynolds has moved on to much bigger and better things since starring in R.I.P.D., not the least of which is starring in Deadpool in 2016. Deadpool was a massive success and one of Reynolds’ best roles to date, as he easily embodied the titular merc with a mouth. The film brought in an astounding $782 million against a $58 million budget and became the highest-grossing R-rated at the time.
Ryan Reynolds followed up that success with Deadpool 2, which was also a critical and commercial juggernaut and pulled in $785 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. Undoubtedly, Reynolds is going to keep that hot streak going with Deadpool 3, which is possibly the most anticipated comic book film of 2024.
While the previous films of the franchise were technically part of Fox’s X-Men film series, Deadpool 3 will be the first Deadpool film to be part of the MCU following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
Hype is at an all-time high for Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 since it is not only part of the MCU timeline now, but it will also be bringing back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, making it Jackman and Wolverine’s first MCU appearance.
Combine the anticipation of a new Deadpool movie, the MCU banner, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and you have the perfect recipe for the new highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Which in and of itself is a selling point since it will be the first R-rated movie in the MCU.
The prequel film, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned starring Jeffrey Donovan in the lead role, was released direct-to-DVD in 2022.
Deadpool 3 isn’t the only big film that Ryan Reynolds has lined up in 2024, as he is also set to star in the latest film from John Krasinski titled Imaginary Friends. Taking a bit of a turn from his A Quiet Place franchise, Imaginary Friends will follow a girl who can see and interact with people’s imaginary friends.
Krasinski is writing and directing the movie and will also appear in the dynamite ensemble cast that includes Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, Emily Blunt, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Christopher Meloni, Richard Jenkins, Awkwafina, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Cailey Fleming, Louis Gossett Jr, Fiona Shaw, Alan S. Kim, Bobby Moynihan, and Vince Vaughn.
We’ll have to wait until May 3, 2024, to see Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 3 and May 24, 2024, to see Reynolds in Krasinski’s Imaginary Friends film. Until then, you can watch one of Reynolds’ less stellar films, R.I.P.D., if you’re looking for something action-packed with some comedy thrown it. You can head over to Netflix to stream it now.
