Deadpool 2’s dizzying array of pop culture references can be hard to keep up with, so you’d be forgiven for missing a joke about Kevin Spacey being recast with Christopher Plummer in Ridley Scott’s recent true-story thriller All the Money in the World. Keep a close eye out for a news report during the first act of the movie, where the ticker along the bottom of the screen features a news bulletin that says “Christopher Plummer turns down role in Deadpool 2.” Although this might just seem like a throwaway gag, there may also be another layer to it.
All the Money in the World’s hasty recasting was one of the big stories of late 2017. Following allegations of sexual assault of a minor, Spacey’s role as billionaire industrialist J. Paul Getty was completely cut from the movie, with Scott casting Plummer as Getty and re-shooting Spacey’s scenes. The decision was especially stunning in light of how fast the changes need to be made; the movie was due for release in just over a month, and a trailer featuring Spacey in the role had already been released. It proved to be a valuable career move for Plummer, netting him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2018 Oscars.
You’ll definitely need to watch Deadpool 2 several times in order to catch all the jokes, references and cameos, and the Plummer joke is only on-screen briefly, in small scrolling letters. Get ready to look when Deadpool is settling in at the X-Men mansion by taking Cerebro for a spin, and Colossus calls on him to join the team for a mission. The movie then cuts to a scene at the Essex Home for Mutant Rehabilitation, where a young mutant called Russell has gone on a rampage with his pyrokinetic powers. As the news report introduces the scene, the Plummer joke is on the ticker at the bottom of the screen.
Given that Deadpool 2 managed to recruit a major celebrity for a surprise cameo role on the condition that Ryan Reynolds fetched him a cup of coffee, we honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Plummer actually was approached to appear in the movie. Late last year TJ Miller, who plays Deadpool’s friend Weasel in the franchise, faced allegations of physical abuse and sexual assault by a former girlfriend, with the details corroborated by several other sources. At the time, it was suggested that Deadpool 2 could recast Weasel with a different actor, since it’s a relatively minor role and there were still several months to go before the movie’s release.
Miller ultimately wasn’t recast, but he appears in only a handful of scenes in the movie. Recasting the character with Plummer would have been quite an incredibly meta-joke, albeit a pretty dark one, but it would also have been quite confusing for those who aren’t clued in to all the latest Hollywood drama. There is such a thing as being too meta.
More: Deadpool 2 Breaks X-Men Continuity - And Then Fixes All The Timeline Problems
- X-Men: Dark Phoenix Release Date: 2019-06-07 New Mutants Release Date: 2020-08-28
