While the WGA strike is expected to end any day now, it's important to remember that actors remain on the picket line. We have no idea how close they are to reaching an agreement with studios, and while writers will soon be able to pen scripts again, there will still be no one to read those lines!
Unfortunately, that doesn't bode well for a number of movies and TV shows heading our way next year, including May's Deadpool 3.
The threequel was halfway through shooting when the strike began so the clock is very much ticking, especially as we'd guess reshoots will be needed once the first cut is completed (Marvel Studios frequently reshapes its blockbusters during post-production so additional photography is a crucial part of the creative process).
According to Deadline, they've heard from an insider who believes next year's release calendar is simply "not real," meaning Deadpool 3 - and any other movie which hasn't finished production - is unlikely to be released as planned.
On the plus side, it's said that "studios can start meeting with candidates and putting offers out on open writing assignments (OWAs) on films — e.g. the new DC’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which has Andy Muschietti set as director."
Even with scripts ready when actors return to work, that doesn't necessarily mean cameras can begin rolling as they'll have prior commitments and the usual pre-production requirements (in the case of Superman: Legacy star David Corenswet, for example, we'd bet on him not even having seen his costume yet).
Deadpool 3 will be a huge part of the Multiverse Saga and is rumoured to feature the Merc with the Mouth and Wolverine rounding up a plethora of alternate reality heroes so the TVA can rebuild a new world when Kang's Multiversal war begins.
Alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Deadpool franchise vets Karan Soni (Dopinder), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa), Stefan Kapicic (Colossus), Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio), and Rob Delaney (Peter) are all set to return in this threequel.
Emma Corrin is expected to play Cassandra Nova, while Matthew Macfadyen will likely take on the role of a TVA agent named Paradox. It's also been confirmed that Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as Elektra, with Liev Schreiber, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen among the many names rumoured to appear.
Deadpool 3 is currently set to be released in theaters on May 3, 2024.