Deadpool & Wolverine features many jaw-dropping scenes, from surprising cameos to epic fight sequences. Although it's difficult to choose the best one, there's no denying that the Deadpool Corps fight scene is simply legendary. With Madonna’s 1980s hit Like a Prayer playing in the background, it becomes a truly remarkable event. Stunt coordinator George Cottle and lead star, co-writer, and co-producer Ryan Reynolds detail how they managed to pull off that grand scene, with several Deadpool variants fighting Wade Wilson and Logan all at once.
On The Official Marvel Podcast, Reynolds revealed that the Like a Prayer sequence was one of his initial visions for Deadpool & Wolverine. Although Cottle loved the idea, he knew bringing it to the big screen would be challenging. However, once everything was planned out and the entire creative team showed their support, they handled it very well, resulting in a perfect execution of one of the most epic fights in the movie.
“When we first talked about it, I saw the storyboards and the storyboards were incredible,” Cottle said.
He explained that pulling off a massive scene like that usually doesn’t happen due to the difficulties and complexities of putting all those pieces together. However, as they discussed it early on, he knew they had no other option but to do it.
“When you shoot a movie like this, when you commit to a oner, you don't have anywhere else to go,” he continued. “You are committing to what that one shot is.”
Ryan Reynolds Had Been Thinking of Deadpool & Wolverine’s Like a Prayer Fight Scene Since Deadpool 2
The Like a Prayer fight scene was one of the biggest scenes in Deadpool & Wolverine. One possible reason for its perfect execution is that Reynolds revealed he had been thinking about it since David Leitch's 2018 Deadpool 2. The actor had already envisioned Wade and Logan walking into the scene together to face the Deadpool Corps and wreak havoc.
“It's like a weird thing. Like A Prayer by Madonna. I was in my head since Deadpool 2; that exact sequence, actually just not fighting the Deadpool Corps,” he said.
The Canadian-American star continued that their meeting with Madonna was like an “amazing pinch-me” moment, making him feel as though she had some authorship over the movie because it all started with her song. “The whole movie started with that one song,” he added.
Ahead of the movie’s release, director Shawn Levy and Reynolds revealed that they had to personally meet Madonna to get permission to use Like a Prayer. Knowing that the Queen of Pop doesn’t license her songs, particularly her 1989 hit, Reynolds noted it was a big deal to ask for. During their meeting, they even showed the music icon how they would use the track and why they needed it.
Thankfully, the meeting was a success, and Madonna allowed them to use the song. Since her son was a fan of the first two Deadpool films, she even assisted them in executing the sequence and incorporating the track after watching it.
True enough, the Deadpool Corps fighting scene was one of the many elements that made Deadpool & Wolverine more exciting. It quickly became one of the most favored moments in the film, not to mention one of the most iconic.
