“Saturday Night Live” came early on Saturday morning, as “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds responded in character to a Change.org petition calling for him to host the long-running NBC sketch series.
At the time of this writing, more than 69,000 (natch!) “Deadpool” fans had signed the petition, which lobbied “SNL” boss Lorne Michael to hire the Merc With a Mouth.
Per his m.o. of late, Reynolds responded in hilarious fashion, posting a 43-second video, as seen above.
“Actually DEADPOOL was going to host back in the 90s, but then this happened. Thank god Tom Hanks was available,” Reynolds wrote in a tweet accompanying the video.
The video mocks Kanye West’s recent “influential” outburst prior to his “SNL” performance on Feb. 13.
The petition suggested that Deadpool break the 4th wall on “SNL,” perform some interpretative dance and perhaps insert his signature brand of humor to the extent that NBC’s legal department would allow.
Reynolds previously hosted “SNL” in 2009. While many actors have spoofed their big screen alter-egos on the 40-year-old comedy institution, a star has never hosted an entire broadcast in character.
Directed by Tim Miller and backed by 20th Century Fox, “Deadpool” crossed the $200 million domestic mark during its second weekend in release after posting the best debut ever for an R-rated movie.