Earlier this week, news broke that Donald Glover and his younger brother Stephen Glover were leaving the animated Deadpool TV series which was expected to debut on FXX later this year. Donald and his brother were expected to write, executive produce, and serve as showrunners.
FX released a statement announcing the decision to part ways with Donald and Stephen Glover, “Due to creative differences, FX, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover and Marvel Television have agreed to part ways on Marvel’s Deadpool animated series. FX will no longer be involved with the project. FX and Marvel have an ongoing relationship through our partnership on Legion, which will continue.”
The show was greenlit for a 10 episode run with Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory expected to executive produce. It was expected to debut in May. The Verge hinted that Glover’s busy schedule might have contributed to his departure. “We don’t know if Glover’s intensive schedule over the last 12 months — which has included working on his musical project as Childish Gambino, shooting the new Star Wars spinoff Solo, and writing, acting, and directing in Atlanta — contributed to his departure here.”
Glover took to Twitter to dismiss those rumors by posting a 15 page script for the planned Deadpool animated series. The episode was titled “Finale.” The script details Deadpool on a mission to protect the last male northern white rhino on Earth. His name is Sudan. About halfway through the script, Glover appears to use Deadpool as his own mouthpiece as he predicts the show will be cancelled or it’s possible he wrote this up after learning he would no longer be part of the show, “You know, I’m not mad about this whole “cancelled” thing. I actually think it’s a good thing I mean, is it even a good time to have a violent, gun loving white man ranting on TV?”
He continues, “I mean, I get it. Maybe they just wanna sell toys. And this style of comedy isn’t it. It’s more ‘ha-ha, but I’m mad.’ I get that.”
Glover through Deadpool then asks, “Do you think they cancelled the show…cause of racism?!” He continues, “Yea, but all the writers were black. And the references were pretty black too. I heard they were over the lunch budget ordering Jamaican food at least once a week. You’re right. Black Panther. (then) Maybe we were alienating our white audience? (then)” He then hints at what the other episodes might have been about. “No. We did a whole goat yoga episode. Damn. What was it? Noooooooo. The Taylor Swift episode? Nah. No. They had to have loved that script.”
Later he continues to guess why the show is canceled. “What? The Marvel stuff I said in it? All I said was Marvel was trying to sell toys to seven year old boys and fifty year old pedophiles. That’s just funny. They’re cool. They get it.”
A little bit further on, Deadpool is in the middle of an action scene when he decapitates an onrushing guard. Deadpool says, “White guys give the best … head?”
Deadpool also weighs in on the current gun debate in the United States. After killing the primary villain with a shot between the eyes Deadpool tells the audience, “Take notes teachers of America. Someday you’ll have to make a high pressure shot like that.”
Then on the final card after the episode has ended it would read, “In loving memory of Sudan, the last male white Rhino.”
You can read the entire script here:
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
— donald (@donaldglover) March 28, 2018
If this was an actual script for the show, it’s pretty obvious why there might have been creative differences with Marvel TV. The script dives into hot button political issues. It jokes about killing white men, and disparagingly refers to Marvel’s customers as 50 year old pedophiles. That definitely doesn’t fall under Marvel or Disney’s brand at the moment.
There’s definitely some funny stuff in the script, but there are points where the humor crosses the line.
What do you think? Do you think Marvel TV should have continued with the show or did they make the right move splitting ways with Donald Glover?
Donald Glover will star as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story which comes out on May 25, 2018.