2016's Deadpool redefined the comic book genre to the point where Disney is now making an R-Rated Marvel Studios movie. That blockbuster's success was down to a lot of individuals, but no superhero is truly great without a formidable foe, and that's where Ed Skrein's scene-stealing Ajax came in.
Responsible for Wade Wilson's tragic transformation into the Merc with the Mouth, the villain left a lasting impact on fans, as did the movie itself, obviously.
During a recent conversation about his standout role in Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, we asked Skrein how it feels to have seen Deadpool resonate in such a big way and asked for his thoughts on the impact the movie has had on the genre. As you might expect, none of that is lost on the actor.
"It is man, it really is. That’s some goosebumps shit. I can’t pretend or sugarcoat or play it cool…it’s actually the coolest shit ever," he tells us in the video below. "It’s like if only Wu-Tang had asked me to be their tenth member or Liverpool asked me to be their kit man. I’m not sure what else I could do for them [Laughs]. I’ll bring in the oranges. Maybe if Splinter asked me to be the fifth Turtle. It’s a little boy’s dream."
"I remember being at comic book fares at eleven years old and going to Mega City and Forbidden Planet. It’s a big part of me growing up. This is my reading list from when I was in America. I just got back last week and, as you can see, I’ve got Reign of X, the Spawn Compendium, and I’m deep into the Jeff Lemire stuff at the moment," Skrein continued, making his fandom known. "The Scumbag is money from Image Comics. It’s proper dark stuff. I’m deep in my comics, man."
As for whether another comic book movie role is on the horizon, he adds: "At some point, it will be the right time to enter into some more comic book IP. Hopefully, something new. New in every sense. We’ll see."
"If not, then I’ll be happy to be a fan in the cinema and comic book stores. Every city I go to, the first thing I do is hit the comic book store. I walk in, smell the comics, go up to the desk and say, ‘Excuse me.’ They look up like, ‘Oh, someone wants to ask me a question?’ I’m so excited to ask and always end up making friends with them and being in the shop for an hour geeking out and spending way too much money on comics. Then, I come home and have to hide them and sneak them into the shelf so my missus doesn’t know I’m spending so much on comics."
So, he's a big fan of the genre and is more than happy to step back into it should the opportunity present itself. Skrein also addresses a possible return as Ajax in Deadpool 3 during our interview, though seems far more interested in tackling something new as his career progresses.
We can't wait to see what's next for the actor, anyway, and we're sure the right role will come along. For now, we can't recommend checking out what he brings to the table in Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon highly enough, and you'll find the full interview about that on the site tomorrow.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon arrives in theaters, on Digital and on Demand on September 30, 2022.