“Deadpool 3” Director Shawn Levy Says Prepare for Epic Wolverine/Deadpool Team-Up
When news broke that Hugh Jackman was reprising his role as Wolverine for Deadpool 3, all felt momentarily right in the superhero world. Jackman was returning to the character that made him an international superstar (yes, despite Wolverine’s noble death in James Mangold’s 2017 film Logan), and he was doing so just as Reynolds’ mouthy, hilarious Deadpool was himself becoming a proper member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadpool 3 will be the first film in the franchise to fall directly under the MCU banner after Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox was completed in March of 2019. The stars had aligned, and these two superstars were finally going to take their years-long routine of ribbing each other online and via video into a proper feature film.
Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy is opening up about just how much of Jackman’s presence we can expect in the film. Levy, who co-wrote the film with longtime Deadpool scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, as well as with Reynolds himself, Zeb Wells, Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, and Wendy Molyneux, told Collider that we can prepare for a “two-hander,” a movie that’s centered on these two strikingly different superheroes and the superstars who play them.
Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival before the world premiere of his limited series All the Light We Cannot See, Levy told Collider that the chatty Deadpool will be fully sharing the stage in the third film with the reticent, tough-as-nails Wolverine.
“You have two major movie stars together in a movie playing their most iconic signature roles – that is director heaven,” Levy told Collider. “So the story, the tone, the movie itself leans into that gift of having Deadpool and Wolverine co-starring in a movie for the first time. So, we’re definitely not running away from that.”
Levy also reiterated that the film will be “raw, audacious,” and a first for any movie containing Wolverine, R-rated. Considering how raw Logan was, it will be very intriguing to see what Wolverine can do when he’s free to tap into the full extent of his rage, not just physically but verbally. You can be almost certain that Deadpool, despite having clamored for real Marvel involvement for years (he’s mocked the X-Men openly, but it’s always been clear he desperately wanted to be a member), will bristle at sharing the spotlight with the world’s most famous mutant. Considering the longstanding tradition in the Deadpool franchise for the character to break the fourth wall, we should probably expect a lot of hilarious, catty asides at Wolverine’s expense.
Newcomers to the franchise include Jennifer Garner, who reprises her earlier role of Elektra, and Emma Corrin and Matthew MacFayden in undisclosed roles. Returning stars include Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Shioli Kutsuan as Yukio, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Stefan Kapici as Colossus, Rob Delaney as Peter, Karan Soni as Dopinder, and Leslie Uggams as Blind Al.
There are whispers that other Marvel characters might make an appearance, including Ian McKellen’s Magneto, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Owen Wilson’s Mobius.
Deadpool 3 is slated for a May 3, 2024 release.
For more on Deadpool 3, check out these stories:
Jennifer Garner Joining “Deadpool 3” Cast as Elektra Adds Yet More Star Power
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Wears Iconic Yellow Suit in “Deadpool 3” Photo
“Deadpool 3” Adds “Succession” Star Matthew Macfadyen
Hugh Jackman Reveals his Meal Plan for Bulking Up to Play Wolverine in “Deadpool 3”
Featured image: L-r: Ryan Reynolds is Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman is Logan/Wolverine in “Deadpool 3.” Courtesy Ryan Reynolds/Marvel Studios
