紐時賞析／集賣座元素於一身 「死侍與金鋼狼」開拍之路為何如此艱難？

莱恩．雷诺斯（左）与休．杰克曼在成为主要流行文化人物的路上学到很多，引导他们合拍「死侍与金钢狼」。（纽约时报）

The Perks and Pitfalls of Playing Superheroes

扮演超级英雄的好处与坏处

If there’s a magic formula for Hollywood success, “Deadpool & Wolverine” would appear to have refined it to a simple calculation: Just add Hugh Jackman’s “X-Men” superhero to the hit comic franchise anchored by Ryan Reynolds and reap the sure-to-be-lucrative dividends.

如果好莱坞的成功有一个神奇公式，「死侍与金钢狼」是很简单的算式：把休．杰克曼主演的超级英雄「X战警」加入莱恩．雷诺斯主演的热门漫画系列电影，肯定可以大赚一笔。

So why did a film that’s projected to be the summer’s biggest live-action blockbuster prove so difficult to get off the ground?

那么，为何一部预计成为今夏最卖座的真人主演的大片，竟如此难以开拍呢？

Although Reynolds had pitched a team-up to his close friend for years, Jackman initially resisted, preferring to let the well-reviewed “Logan” (2017) stand as his swan song with the gruff mutant Wolverine. And while the merger of Disney and Fox allowed Reynolds to set the third “Deadpool” movie starring his R-rated mercenary in the previously off-limits Marvel Cinematic Universe, he struggled to come up with a story that could capitalize on that opportunity. “It was just hard to find the thing that felt right,” Reynolds said.

尽管雷诺斯已经向他的挚友力推组队好几年了，杰克曼一开始抗拒，偏向让广获好评的「罗根」（2017）充当他跟粗犷变种人金钢狼的告别作。虽然迪士尼并购福斯后，让雷诺斯有可能进入曾被列为角色个人禁区漫威电影宇宙，着手制作限制的「死侍」第3集，但他找不到可以乘胜追击的故事。雷诺斯说：「合适的剧本实在很难找」。

In August 2022, just as Reynolds and director Shawn Levy debated putting their sequel on ice, Jackman placed a surprise call and told them he was willing to give his signature role one more go. “There’s parts of Wolverine that I scratched around and wanted to explore, but I wasn’t able to,” Jackman said. “In this film, there’s sides of him that I’ve always wanted to get out.”

2022年8月，正当雷诺斯和导演薛恩．李维讨论是否暂时搁置拍摄计划时，杰克曼意外来电，表示他愿意重出江湖诠释招牌角色。杰克曼表示，「我一直尝试搜寻探索金钢狼的其他面向，却无功而返」。他说，「在这部电影里，我呈现出一直希望展现的金钢狼面向」。

On a video call in late June, both men had plenty to say about the long arc of portraying and eventually becoming the steward of major pop-cultural characters. Reynolds waged an uphill battle to make the first “Deadpool” film (2016), which was greenlit only after leaked test footage became an internet sensation. Off its modest $58 million budget, the movie grossed $782.8 million worldwide and gave Reynolds his first real franchise.

6月下旬一次视讯通话，对于扮演与最终成为主要流行文化人物代表的漫长心路历程，两个男人有很多要说。拍摄第一部「恶棍英雄：死侍」电影（2016），雷诺斯备感艰辛，外泄的预告片网路爆红后，片商才点头开拍。以不算多的5800万美元预算，在全球票房为7.828亿美元，也为雷诺斯带来第一部真正系列电影。

“I was an actor who was semi-well-known,” said Reynolds, who added jokingly, “I don’t know how you would phrase that without sounding like a dink. But I was 37 when ‘Deadpool’ had its pop-culture phenomenon moment, and I’m really grateful I was because I knew exactly how to enjoy it.”

雷诺斯戏称，「当时我是一个说红不红的演员，我不晓得还有没有其他方式可以描述这一处境，而不会让人感觉像个混蛋。但当『恶棍英雄：死侍』成为流行文化现象时，我已经37岁了，我完全可以体会个中滋味，所以我真的很感激」。

While the first film was in theaters, he stood in a hotel room overlooking Los Angeles — “this place that I’d been busting my ass in for 18 years at that point” — and remembered feeling an appreciation for the series of small successes and false starts that led him to what now felt like superstardom.

当第一部电影在电影院上映时，他站在一间俯瞰洛杉矶的饭店房间里，「那时我已经在这个地方一直拚命工作了18年」──这一路走来的小得小失，到他现在觉得是超级巨星的地位，回忆满是感激。

文／Kyle Buchanan　译／周辰阳