Deadpool & Wolverine's next mission? Trying to grab some Oscars, including Hugh Jackman as Best Supporting Actor
In typical post-box-office-hit Marvel Studios fashion.
After a fantastic box office run as Marvel Studios' first-ever R-rated movie, Deadpool & Wolverine isn't saying "bye bye" just yet. Instead Marvel and Disney aim to position it as a big player in the upcoming awards season.
While a bit funny, it doesn't really come as a surprise, as Disney and Marvel have a tradition of pushing hard to sell their biggest blockbusters as cinematic achievements following Ryan Coogler's Black Panther having a groundbreaking Oscars presence back in the day. It's happened before and will happen again.
Via Variety, who had the exclusive, we've learned that Shawn Levy's movie "will be submitted for consideration at the Golden Globes in the comedy categories, with Reynolds’ performance as Wade Wilson, a.k.a. Deadpool, vying for one of the six spots in the actor (comedy or musical) category." More surprising is the fact Disney and Marvel are reportedly positioning Hugh Jackman's post-Logan return to Wolverine as Best Supporting Actor "across all key awards shows, including the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice, and even the Oscars."
There's also the extra, much safer bet of submitting Deadpool & Wolverine to the Golden Globes' Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, which was just added last year, with Greta Gerwig's Barbie nabbing the inaugural prize. This category aims to recognize the 'cultural relevance' of huge blockbusters that otherwise could go unnoticed in the big categories. In the case of Barbie, however, the movie managed to land eight Oscar noms, though it only took home Best Original Song.
Deadpool & Wolverine, of course, is also expected to aim for technical categories such as production design, sound, and visual effects, which traditionally easier noms (and potential wins) for popcorn entertainment-oriented movies.
As always, anything could happen between now and the actual awards shows, but we're not expecting Marvel Studios' latest behemoth (a much needed win after 2023's slump) to have a large impact on the awards season when all is said and done. This should be seen as a 'free' PR and marketing move to get more people to catch the flick on Disney Plus when it drops soon and to buy it on Blu-ray ahead of the Christmas season.