Nearly a week after FX announced it has canceled plans for a Deadpool animated series following “creative differences” with producers David Glover and Stephen Glover, test footage for the abandoned project has surfaced online.
Posted by the animation company Titmouse, the clip blends Ryan Reynolds’ dialogue from the hit 2016 live-action film with some graphic and comically over-the-top action that demonstrates how the series would’ve taken full advantage of the medium.
Although a significant portion of the footage is unfinished, we see heads shot off and decapitated, exploding bodies, a katana to the chest, and Deadpool losing all of his limbs. So, yes, it’s incredibly violent. But it’s also silly, as the Merc With a Mouth is flattened like a paper doll before springing back to his original form, like a character from a Tex Avery classic.
FX ordered the animated Deadpool straight to series in May 2017 for its FXX comedy channel, with the Glover brothers (Atlanta) tapped to serve as executive producers and showrunners. However, the cable network abruptly abandoned the 10-episode first season over the weekend:
“Due to creative differences, FX, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover and Marvel Television have agreed to part ways on Marvel’s Deadpool animated series. FX will no longer be involved with the project. FX and Marvel have an ongoing relationship through our partnership on Legion, which will continue.”
Donald Glover responded on a Wednesday with a fake finale script that took swipes at Marvel and the show’s cancellation. Stephen Glover followed that on Thursday with comments that a Taylor Swift episode “was definitely the last straw.” The tweets by both Glovers have since been deleted.