Kevin Feige Didn't Think Cocaine Was Funny, So Of Course Deadpool & Wolverine Put It In The Script

For the time being, it may be "Inside Out 2" and "Despicable Me 4" dominating the box office, but that's all going to change when director Shawn Levy's "Deadpool & Wolverine" comes out in a couple of weeks. The Merc With a Mouth and the fan-favorite mutant will be joining forces in a live-action, R-rated adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We'll go from family-friendly animated films to a violent superhero flick filled with jokes about pegging and cocaine. Marvel head Kevin Feige may have protested a little bit about the cocaine bit, but that just made Ryan Reynolds want to include the joke even more.

In a recent interview with Variety, the President of Marvel Studios discussed a wide range of topics, but touched on a joke from the "Deadpool & Wolverine" trailer in which Wade Wilson says cocaine was the one thing that was off limits. "I didn't say they couldn't," Feige was quick to clarify. He did, however, go on to explain that a passing comment led Reynolds to make the joke that ended up in the movie.

"We were talking about everybody always being afraid of Disney-fying things. This is the biggest entertainment company in the world for 100 years. You should be so lucky to Disney-fy everything! But what people mean by that is shaving down the rough edges. We were open to everything. I had said there were some things that we could evolve. After about the 28th time you do a joke, sometimes it's not as funny. Maybe I'm slightly prudish when it comes to drug use. But I was like 'Eh, it's not that funny' in passing. Ryan, of course, stores everything in his brain for later use as excellent jokes. And he added it to the script."

Feige has been the man heading up the MCU for going on 20 years now and he's turned it into a remarkably successful enterprise. That, historically, has been with PG-13 movies. It's largely going to continue to be with PG-13 movies such as "The Fantastic Four," which he's expressed a great deal of excitement about. But this is the MCU going R-rated on the big screen for the first time and that forced Feige to get out of his comfort zone a bit. He may not find cocaine jokes funny but Reynolds seems to know how to make these movies work for the masses.

To that end, Feige also revealed that he had to explain to other Marvel employees what pegging was based on another joke from the trailers. That is an admittedly uncomfortable position to be in but it comes with the territory when you're making a "Deadpool" movie, it seems. That will, in the end, be a small price to pay as audiences are incredibly excited to see Hugh Jackman return as Wolverine alongside Reynolds as Wade Wilson. This figures to be one of the biggest movies of the year.

Despite all of the crass jokes and violence in the trailers, Feige also made a point in that same interview to point out that the movie is more than just its R-rated trappings. "It may seem strange to say, but it is an immensely wholesome movie — with a lot of bad words and gore," Feige said in response to a question about what age is too young to watch this movie. He's leaving that up to the parents to decide, but he also wants you to know it's not just about pegging and narcotics.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" hits theaters on July 26, 2024.