Overview

• Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, Reynolds said he personally uploaded the two-minute test reel that surfaced online in 2014.
• He called the act "cheating a little" and said he is "grateful that I did the wrong thing," while joking he feared it might be "punishable by law."
• The clip began as director Tim Miller’s 2012 CGI proof-of-concept after the studio initially declined a comic-accurate take on the character.
• Following the viral response around Comic-Con 2014, the project was reportedly approved within about 24 hours.
• The franchise went on to major box-office success, with Deadpool grossing about $782 million, Deadpool 2 about $785 million, and Deadpool & Wolverine topping $1 billion, after years of Reynolds sidestepping direct confirmation including during a Vanity Fair polygraph.