Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds thinks a grizzled, knife-handed Canuck might be just the guy to cut an opening for superhero movies at the Academy Awards. According to Variety, Reynolds thinks James Mangold’s upcoming Logan—the final Wolverine movie starring Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman—might be the first superhero movie to be named Best Picture of the year (or at least get nominated, in any case). “Logan looks like a movie that might break that glass ceiling,” Reynolds said, referring to Hollywood’s usual snobbery toward comic-book films. “I know first-hand that it’s amazing. I’ve seen some of it. It’s mind-blowing. It relies a lot on character.”
Of course, if Logan wants to be the prestige-seeking trailblazer for the cape-and-cowl set, it’ll have to stand in line behind Reynolds’ own Deadpool , which is getting a quiet little Oscar push of its own. As with most of the movie’s marketing, script, and general existence, the For Your Consideration campaign for Deadpool is sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek. But, then, it’s not like that irreverence pushed people away from the movie when it was in theaters, turning Reynolds’ action-comedy into one of the most successful superhero movies of the year. (Plus, the movie’s feints toward subversion might make it more palatable than more normal comic book fare when it comes time for Academy voters to cast their ballots.)
Logan slices its way into theaters on March 3.