REGINA - Legendary comedian Lesley Nielson, Orphan Black Star Tatiana Maslany – and comic book meta anti-hero “Wade Wilson” all have one thing in common. They’re from Regina.
Wade Wilson – also known as “Deadpool” the “merc with a mouth” – is canonically from right here in the Queen City.
In the first film offering Ryan Reynold’s ( who plays Deadpool) quipped about Wade Wilson’s birth place - weaving the Queen City’s most infamous joke into the bit, close to a decade before “Experience Regina” was on the lips of anyone looking to promote tourism in the city. The 2016 release of the original movie even spurred one fan’s quest to have a statue to the mercenary erected in Regina.
Then Regina Mayor Michael Fougere responded to the proposal for a Deadpool statue in a Facebook post. Fougere simply said, “Nope,” in response to local Deadpool fan Luke Oliver’s campaign for the statue.
Oliver, undeterred by the mayor’s lack of enthusiasm pushed for the statue through multiple online petitions. One petition on change.org got more than 2,000 signatures. At the time, despite Mayor Fougere’s dismissal, Oliver remained optimistic – posting a response to Fougere on Facebook “Have some fun, Fougere! The people want this, and it HAS to happen now.”
Now years later – with the third instalment of the film set to be released – the movie’s titular character is back in the minds of Regina residents.
In honor of the release, the Kramer IMAX Theatre will rename itself the “Wade Wilson IMAX Theatre” for the upcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine.
The renaming will last for the film’s run at Saskatchewan’s only IMAX Theatre.
The “Wade Wilson” IMAX Theatre, will be named so for the film’s run at Saskatchewan’s only IMAX Theatre. Sandy Baumgartner, CEO of the Saskatchewan Science Centre, talked about the cultural significance of this gesture, stating, “Deadpool is Regina’s home-grown Super Hero, and it’s time we embrace that.”
The renaming ceremony will take place on Thursday, July 25th, the film’s opening day. The Science Centre is inviting Deadpool fans to attend in cosplay and participate in the festivities, which will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a food truck serving chimichangas, a favorite of Deadpool’s.
“We’d like to invite all Deadpool fans and everyone who supported the Deadpool statue campaigns to attend and celebrate,” said Ryan Holota, Chief Operating Officer at the Science Centre. “Wear your best Deadpool cosplay – whether that is a full costume or a t-shirt – and celebrate with us. We’ll even have a food truck on site serving piping hot chimichangas!”
In addition to the renaming, the theatre will unveil a miniature Deadpool statue, which will be given away to one lucky ticket holder attending the new film’s premiere. The first screening of “Deadpool & Wolverine: The IMAX Experience” will begin at 6:35 p.m. on opening day.
Meanwhile, to mark Reynold’s arrival in Canada for a special screening of the movie Tuesday in Toronto, Tim Hortons launched a video on Tim Hortons TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube pages, featuring Deadpool relaxing with a Tims coffee after his movie’s shoot wrapped.
