20th Century Fox Forced Ryan Reynolds to Cut ‘Deadpool 2’ Joke Targeting Disney

Deadpool isn’t shy when it comes to making quips, but it turns out the Merc With a Mouth is no match for 20th Century Fox. Ryan Reynolds tells Entertainment Weekly that the studio behind his R-rated superhero franchise forced him to remove a Disney-related joke from the upcoming “Deadpool 2.” Reynolds co-wrote the film with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

“This is a sore spot for me because there’s a joke in the movie that is not in the movie now because — I’m probably not even allowed to say this — Fox made me take it out,” Reynolds said. “It had more to do with Disney, and they made me take it out. As I look back at it, I think maybe that was a wise decision.”

Reynolds did not disclose the reason why the joke was pulled, but Entertainment Weekly suggests it had something to do with the Disney-Fox merger. News broke last December that Disney was purchasing Fox’s assets in a $52.4 billion deal. Fox made fun of the acquisition at CinemaCon this year when a video featuring Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman was interrupted by the famous Disney cartoon character Pluto.

Fortunately, the Disney-Fox merger didn’t cut all of the Disney-related jokes out of “Deadpool 2.” Entertainment Weekly reports that the sequel makes a recurring joke out of the Disney animated blockbuster “Frozen.” “Deadpool 2” opens in theaters nationwide May 18.

IndieWire reached out to 20th Century Fox, but the studio declined to comment.