Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham FC 'Closer to His Heart' Than 'Deadpool' (EXCL)
Ryan Reynolds is all in on Wrexham FC and busy turning it into a franchise for many years to come, per an insider, who exclusively tells Life & Style he plans on passing the soccer franchise to his kids as a future gold mine.
“Ryan’s work in the Deadpool movies has generated billions of dollars in ticket sales and it’s kept him firmly on the Hollywood A-list, but the Wrexham project has been a lot closer to his heart and the partnership with Rob McElhenney continues to bear real fruit.”
The Proposal star, 48, has the Midas touch these days, as his production company, Maximum Effort, scored a major win with their handling of the marketing side of Deadpool & Wolverine and he continues to negotiate deals to secure his ever-expanding soccer legacy.
While the insider argues, “It’s apples and oranges to compare the these two franchises,” it’s the soccer club and it’s spin-off show, Welcome to Wrexham, that has “captured Ryan’s heart and that strong connection he has to the place is now allowing him to expand his businesses into new territories and capture entire new fan bases in the process.”
The Marvel hero and his It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia alum business partner Rob, 47, recently announced the sale of a minority stake of their club to the Allyn family, a wealthy family based in upstate New York, which will also give the two of them control of Wrexham Lager Beer Co. Ltd., based in the U.K., through a new joint venture called Red Dragon Ventures. The actors will remain owners, as they’re pinning their hopes on the deal leading to even more growth than they’ve already seen.
“Even though Ryan has already sold a minority stake in the team, he and Rob are going to maintain control of the club and keep making the unscripted series as long as they can,” the source says.
“That’s the thinking behind expanding into the local beer business there and then importing the product to North America, where it’s going to be rolling out during the holidays,” the insider explains. “But there’s a longer game he’s playing here too—for all the work he has plowed into Deadpool, Ryan doesn’t own the character or those movies, and eventually somebody else is going to play that role.”
While Ryan has certainly done right by Disney via his company’s marketing prowess, the IP does still belong to them. However, the actor-turned producer doesn’t have that problem with Wrexham, and, when combined with the allied businesses he’s creating around it, “he’s actually building an asset he can pass along to his kids to do with as they please.”
“The T.V. show, which Ryan and Rob also have ownership stakes in, is the same deal—it’s something their kids can profit from long after they’re gone, especially in the streaming era when T.V. shows can have extra-long shelf lives.”
“This was never a passing fancy for either of them, and they’ve already decided that they’re in this for the rest of their lives.”