Ryan Reynolds has been in the industry for more than 3 decades now. And in each and every performance he has ever delivered, the Canadian actor never fails to turn a stone of laughter and wit for his characters. It is because of this quality that his Deadpool character is the Merc with the Mouth. However, we are not here to talk about his Deadpool Mercenary. In all the projects he has done thus far, seldom do we see him not returning for a sequel (if there is one).

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But there are always exceptions. And in his case, it is the 2013 movie R.I.P.D. Despite his pretty lively, irreverent, visually engaging, and now and then almost actually witty execution of his character nick, he was not a part of the 2022 sequel. And the reasons are pretty sensible.

Here’s why Ryan Reynolds was not a part of R.I.P.D 2: Rise of The Damned

The buddy cop comedy sees Ryan Reynolds’ team up with Jeff Bridges as they work for the titular Rest In Peace Detective agency and find the souls who somehow evaded the judgment day. Earning around $78 million against a production budget of $150 million, the flick was unfortunately a box office bomb. And while the years-long rumors of a sequel starring Reynolds were in the air, when it finally made its debut almost a decade after, the flick did not star its main character.

Firstly, the reason could be that hiring Reynolds may cost them a lot. And secondly, Rise of The Damned is actually a prequel. While the Canadian actor’s gig takes place in modern-day Boston, they have set the 2022 movie in the Wild West of the 1870s. Now it came as quite a surprise because Bridges’ character was that of a lawman from the Wild West, but he is not a part of the sequel either. One could perhaps assume that even though producers saw potential in the script, hiring the two former actors would go far beyond the assumed budget.

So what exactly happened to Ryan Reynolds’ character in the OG R.I.P.D movie?

Ryan Reynolds’ Nick Walker, after being shot to death by his corrupt partner, joins R.I.P.D in the afterlife. The agency assigns him and Bridges’ Roy Pulsipher to take down Deados. Towards the end, Walker’s former partner is revealed to be Deados and they take him down. Walker’s success earns him a new identity of a young girl scout, while Reynolds perhaps goes on to solve a plethora of new missions, hence confirming his exit from the apparent prequel.

What are your thoughts about it? Do you think the Deadpool mercenary should have starred in the 2022 flick? Do let us know in the comments below.