Deadpool & Wolverine featured plenty of big surprises and a lot of familiar faces from the past. However, some Variants ended up being recast (Jason Flemyng told us last October why he declined to return as Azazel).
We recently got to speak with Kevin Durand about his role in the hilarious, terrifying new horror movie Clown in a Cornfield. You'll be able to find the full conversation here soon, but during our interview, we asked the actor why he didn't reprise his role as The Blob in Deadpool & Wolverine.
The actor first played the character in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but actor Mike Waters took over in the Marvel Studios movie for what ended up being a non-speaking role.
So, why didn't Durand don the fat suit again?
"You know, Hugh Jackman kept saying to me while we were shooting that scene in the ring, ‘Oh my God, they’re gonna go crazy for this character. Get used to doing this makeup process.’ It never came back around," he said of his short-lived but memorable X-Men role. "The word that I heard was just that it was a very time-consuming character."
"It would take seven and a half hours to get fully into the makeup and the layers of costuming and whatnot. I can’t help but think it ended up being about time constraints, but hopefully, someone in that universe brings him back because he’s a terrific character," Durand added. "I would love to get under all those layers to explore Freddy Dukes again."
Not only would it have been a waste of Durand's talents to have him essentially stand in the background of a few scenes, but that timely process of transforming into The Blob likely wouldn't have helped him or Deadpool & Wolverine.
This isn't the first time a superhero project has passed him by, of course, as DC Universe's Swamp Thing TV series was unceremoniously cancelled before it could get a second season. Durand transformed into Floronic Man in the series, though we never got to follow that story to its conclusion.
"They cut us off way too early with that," he acknowledged, reflecting on the popular TV series cancelled by Warner Bros. to save money. "But you know, as with every business, there’s always crazy levels of bureaucracy that change and fluctuate, and you know, unfortunately, they ended a really great thing way too soon with that one."
DC Studios is now moving forward with a Swamp Thing movie from James Mangold, which, unfortunately, won't be a continuation of the show.
It's a shame that Durand hasn't had more luck in the superhero space, but fresh off his critically acclaimed performances in Abigail and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes last year, we'd strongly recommend seeing what he comes up with in Clown in a Cornfield...
In Clown in a Cornfield, Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play.
Clown in a Cornfield arrives in theaters on May 9.