Remember that PG-13 Deadpool 2 that was officially announced when 20th Century Fox did some major schedule shifting? Well, it looks like it won’t be called Deadpool 2; instead, it will be going by a new title: Once Upon A Deadpool. More on the report, below.

Deadline says the PG-13 version of the film will be a part of a larger plan as a result of the new Disney and Fox merger that was approved earlier this year. The film will have a limited engagement starting December 12 and conclude on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018. While some have seen this as a quick cash grab, there are some altruistic motives that come with this toned-down release.

Star Ryan Reynolds told the site that for “every ticket sold $1 will go to the audaciously named F-ck Cancer campaign, which will be temporarily renamed “Fudge Cancer” for the purpose of tie-in fundraising effort.” So it’s all for a good cause. And what better time to feel charitable than the holidays.

It’s funny how Deadpool has set the tone for other R-rated superhero films like Logan. However, that doesn’t mean that other studios are just as eager to follow along. Venom was rumored to be released as an R-rated film before it hit theaters as PG-13. Still, Venom managed to break its own records, much like the Deadpool films. And yet, Fox has still made an appeal to a younger audience with a variety of marketing tie-ins with 7-11.

But that doesn’t mean that Fox tried to release Deadpool as PG-13 from the start. But here is what in the same interview, Reynolds revealed the conditions Fox needed to meet in order to release Deadpool 2 as PG-13:

The Fred Savage thing links to the previous image of Reynolds as Deadpool reading to the current Savage in a tweet that was released earlier this fall. It was an homage to The Princess Bride of sorts. But in reality, it all has to do with the PG-13 film that will be released soon.

That’s because Once Upon A Deadpool has been repurposed as a Christmas movie. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were the ones to come up with the idea and Reynolds pitched it to Fox. They embraced the idea and would use it to test how audiences would respond to a PG-13 version of an ultra-violent film like Deadpool 2. Now we will wait and see if they get the results they want. Just remember, this plan will not only be measured by the audience but by Disney and Fox as well.

So it will be interesting to see how audiences will respond to it. We’ll keep you posted on any new updates when they come in.

Once Upon A Deadpool hits theaters on December 12, 2018.

[Source: Deadline]