The anticipation for Deadpool & Wolverine continues to build as details emerge about the film’s commitment to practical effects and its treatment of beloved characters. Aaron Stanford, reprising his role as Pyro, recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss his character’s evolution and his experience on the set, shedding light on what makes this Marvel sequel stand out.
Stanford’s first impression of the Deadpool & Wolverine set was nothing short of awe-inspiring. He described walking onto a vast desert wasteland, meticulously crafted with practical set pieces that spanned the length of a football field.
“The very first set I saw was this just gigantic desert wasteland with all of these practical set pieces that stretched the length of a football field,” Stanford shared. “I would certainly have expected something like that to be all green screen, but the pains that were taken and the amount of resources and labor that had to go into physically building this world just absolutely astonished me.”
This commitment to practical effects is a breath of fresh air for fans weary of overreliance on CGI. While digital effects are indispensable in modern filmmaking, the tactile authenticity of practical sets often brings an unmatched level of immersion and detail.
One of the film’s standout locations, already glimpsed in promotional materials, is Cassandra Nova’s ominous headquarters. This set features a colossal Ant-Man helmet, complete with the superhero’s skull, planted in the desert. It’s a chilling and creative use of practical effects that underscores the film’s dark tone and innovative approach to visual storytelling.
In addition to the impressive sets, fans of the X-Men franchise will be delighted to see Pyro finally donning a costume inspired by his comic book counterpart. Unlike his appearances in X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, where his wardrobe was largely underwhelming, Deadpool & Wolverine grants Pyro a proper superhero suit.
Stanford expressed his excitement about this long-awaited upgrade: “I was just very happy to even have a costume. In the original X-Men films, Pyro gets really shortchanged in terms of a costume…In X2, we start off with Pyro in Xavier’s School for Gifted Mutants…the SWAT team bursts in in the middle of the night and we have to flee. So for half the movie, I’m in my jammies. I never got the cool leather, tactical suit that all the X-Men wear. And in X3, I was just dressed in an ensemble from Hot Topic, basically. So to have him be in a proper superhero costume that was actually taken from the comics themselves was very cool.”
The new costume is directly inspired by Pyro’s look in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, a nod that comic fans will surely appreciate. This update not only honors the source material but also gives Pyro a more formidable and visually striking presence in the film.
Deadpool & Wolverine seems poised to deliver a visually and narratively rich experience that blends the irreverent humor and action-packed sequences expected from Deadpool with the depth and complexity of the X-Men universe. The integration of practical effects with CGI and the attention to character details, such as Pyro’s new costume, signal a thoughtful approach to the film’s production.
As the marketing ramp-up continues, the excitement among fans is palpable. With Aaron Stanford’s revelations, Deadpool & Wolverine promises not just a continuation of beloved characters’ stories but a visually groundbreaking and authentically crafted Marvel adventure.
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