The official trailer for Once Upon A Deadpool is finally out and it introduces Fred Savage as the titular anti-hero’s newest sidekick.
The minute-long video starts with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool telling a clueless Fred that he’s in a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2. When Fred points out that he’s a grown-up man, Deadpool insists that nobody does childlike innocence like Fred and that’s why Deadpool needs him in retelling Deadpool 2 in the most kid-friendly way.
Fred initially refuses to offer his help, but when Deadpool reveals that he has tied Fred’s legs to the bed, the former child actor is left with no choice but to give in.
The trailer is an ode to the 1987 film The Princess Bride, which features a grandfather (Peter Falk) reading the story of Buttercup and Westley to his grandson (Fred) while skipping over the terrifying parts of the narrative that are a bit too adult for the kid.
Though the trailer doesn’t feature Deadpool’s trademark cursing, it’s pretty apparent that the movie has managed to keep the original’s edgy sense of humor. When Fred reveals that he prefers Marvel movies and Wade tells him that it is actually a Marvel movie, Fred says, “Yeah, but you’re Marvel licensed by Fox. It’s almost like if the Beatles were produced by Nickelback. It’s music, but it sucks.”
While Once Upon A Deadpool is intended for children who are unable to watch the R-rated release of Deadpool 2, writer and executive producer Paul Wernick said that adults who have seen the original will still enjoy the PG-13 cut.
“It’s subversive enough and fun and creative and something that only Deadpool could do. So I think it’s going to be a real joy for not only a whole new audience, but also an audience that has seen and loved the Deadpool movies.”
Once Upon a Deadpool hit theaters on December 12th.