Chapter 243: The Charm of the Character

What is most important in a film like this? Just as Deadpool's key ability is his trash-talking, the most crucial element isn't the story, logic, or philosophical musings, but the charm of the character!

In other words, the Deadpool that appears on the big screen must display an incredibly unique and transcendent charm!

Thus, in the script prepared by Murphy, the three essential elements of the movie story are: character, character, and character again!

Other aspects like structure, rhythm, and plot are secondary. Only by establishing Deadpool's character can the audience willingly follow him on this journey. If the character isn't well-developed, the seemingly unique but actually clichéd story becomes unconvincing. The audience will constantly pick apart the logic and find plot holes, making the film problematic.

Murphy's first task is to consider how the story impacts the protagonist - not the audience, not the production company, not himself. He doesn't worry about the genre of the film, such as what makes a good superhero movie.

Instead, Murphy focuses more on what kind of conflict Deadpool should be involved in, then crafting a viable story based on the character to create a strong, clear narrative.

Murphy pays special attention to ensuring the story's creativity is proactive, with actions and behaviors defined by Deadpool, the main character.

Inspiration for a movie script can come in various forms: a specific scene involving the character, an exciting emotional impulse, or an abstract idea about the story's concept, like the concept of the Star Wars prequels, "You think you can fight against tyranny, but those powers will eventually win."

Whatever the form of story inspiration, as long as it originates from Deadpool, Murphy can use it to create a solid, feasible narrative.

Deadpool is like a non-human, but Murphy doesn't build the story around non-humanity. All good stories are constructed around humans and conflicts. Even films like 'Finding Nemo', 'Bambi', and 'Shrek', which use non-human forms to mask their human nature, require clear understanding of the protagonist's flaws.

Yes, flaws are now crucial to a movie character.

Murphy understands that omnipotent characters who can easily resolve their own troubles no longer suit the needs of modern cinema. That's why Superman movies are the hardest superhero films to make, and Batman must fall from grace to be redeemed.

Murphy refers to these character flaws as "fatal flaws," an essential human aspect that a character lacks. It's not something a character needs or naturally possesses, but rather what the director or screenwriter must give to the character.

This "flaw" could be an addiction or a misguided goal, as in 'The Wolf of Wall Street', where wealth and power are always seen as good, or 'Shallow Hal's' desire for popularity.

As the initiator and real implementer of the project, Murphy must "discuss" these deep issues with the protagonist Deadpool, which will bring significant changes to the story's ending.

What are Deadpool's flaws? Talkative, lecherous, greedy, irresponsible...

Talkativeness requires careful design; unlimited babble will only alienate the audience. Murphy called Robert Downey Jr., who is a talkative person himself, to come over for a day to design Deadpool's lines.

Deadpool is very lecherous; in almost every comic he appears in, any female character he interacts with ends up kissing or getting intimate with him. His inability to die once made him fall in love with Lady Death, only to be cursed by Thanos, who was also in love with her, making him immortal and unable to be with her.

Therefore, a gorgeous and sexy female lead is essential, and the two characters should share a similarly lecherous nature, perhaps depicted in an emotional scene where they spend a year together in passionate intimacy.

Character flaws make Deadpool relatable and charismatic, resonating with the audience. But shaping such a character takes more than just flaws; Deadpool also needs a path to satisfaction, his plan.

Murphy's script and movie must set Deadpool on a journey, causing him internal pain.

Correspondingly, Wade Wilson's decision to undergo dangerous human experiments because of love and cancer, transforming into an unrecognizable form while longing to regain his original appearance, is crucial.

Like in 'Midnight Cowboy', where Joe Buck's decision to become New York's most successful gigolo seems terrible but teaches him more than ever before.

Similarly, in 'Maria Full of Grace', an 18-year-old pregnant protagonist quits her job and quickly needs money, deciding to become a drug trafficker.

For movies and scripts, such terrible ideas are perfect for characters!

These protagonists think they can control the outcome but fail, and their failure makes the film successful.

Murphy will focus here, forcing Deadpool onto a painful path. It'll be brutal and cruel but also sympathetic, making Deadpool's tumultuous journey lead to some fundamental change or acceptance.

This path towards fulfillment but ultimate failure is the storyline Deadpool needs, and it's the map for Deadpool and the audience to a new world.

And all these will reflect the necessary values of a movie character.

In movies, we see familiar values, like "Love will find a way," "Be yourself," "Connect with others," "Money isn't everything," "Family can save you," etc.

Hollywood used to call these "messages," the basic truths that the public strives to believe in life.

But movie characters' values shouldn't be sermonized or forced upon the audience. They should be expressed through activities, behaviors, and dialogues in a dramatic way.

Deadpool's values are unique, which is part of his charm.

Having established Deadpool's flaws, journey, and value orientation, Murphy creates an action structure chart for the script.

With this chart, Murphy combines all aspects of Deadpool into a coherent story, treating it as an expanded "pitch."

Once Murphy completes the chart, he can commit it to memory and share it with Bill Rossis and Cara Fess for initial review.

The action structure chart is a collection of all elements that form the foundation of the script's story, allowing an immediate view of the entire narrative, like Hollywood's typical "inciting event," "call to action," "climax," and "resolution."

Murphy condenses his ideas into six to ten short paragraphs, no longer than two pages of a standard script.

This isn't a timeline; Murphy doesn't need to list specific, actual scenes from the story.

The action structure is a way to define major arcs and values without filling in every detail. For example, in the second act of the script, he can set "something bad happens" as a placeholder because the event table can detail these actions and events.

This part of the work is much easier with pre-existing action structure templates in Hollywood.

Having sorted these out, Murphy uses them as a template, filling in the script's story content traditionally in a three-act structure.

Although the story uses flashbacks, the rhythm follows standard Hollywood patterns. Deadpool starts as an ordinary character, then through minor incidents, intersects and conflicts with other main characters, a common way to trigger events in scripts.

Once Deadpool's inciting event occurs, he must make a decision, not due to desire or plan, but because Murphy pushes him on the path he needs to follow.

Next is the journey and trials of the second act. Deadpool's simple story as an ordinary person becomes complicated.

During this process, the combination of other characters and Deadpool's poor decisions creates a reality that brings more pain and complexity to the protagonist, forcing him to struggle, driving the plot forward, and complicating the story. Without certain actions, the protagonist can't progress, having tried all methods.

Here, the second act can conclude, leading to the crucial third act.

The third act is the protagonist's decision and the climax of the entire story.

Once the important decision is made, Deadpool, as the protagonist, no longer struggles with the main problem. Murphy only needs to resolve interpersonal conflicts and Deadpool's final value formation.

That, of course, is Deadpool's decision to change and accept his flaws.

This is the value of the story, where the character finally realizes why the initial plan or "fulfillment" was an illusion but gains something more important – a new understanding of himself.

The script concludes here, completing the story. Murphy then makes adjustments and fills in details, such as Deadpool's lines, borrowing from the comics and written by Robert Downey Jr. to fit current social conditions.

For the dark humor scenes, he enlists the help of Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, both masters of comedy.

After completing the first draft of the script, Murphy, along with the plan, sends them to Bill Rossis and Cara Fess. To get the project off the ground, they need to secure the rights.

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