Deadpool 3 will be Marvel Studios' first R-rated movie, a surprise, but also a necessity when it comes to a character like Ryan Reynolds' Merc with the Mouth.
He'll be joined by Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in a threequel we've recently heard is going to be a lead-in to Avengers: Secret Wars. That suggests both characters will remain part of the MCU moving forward, news which has been welcomed by fans.
During a recent interview with Collider, Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy described the movie as an "R-rated bloodbath" and said it will be a "two-hander" which gives both Deadpool and Wolverine an equal share of the spotlight.
"You have two major movie stars together in a movie playing their most iconic signature roles - that is director heaven," Levy said. "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."
In a separate interview with Deadline, the filmmaker talked more about his approach to the franchise, suggesting he's not looking to break the mould.
"Deadpool 1 is, to me, a perfect movie, and so I was not going to mess with the DNA of that franchise," Levy explains. "Our movie is raw, audacious, very much R-rated. We went to great lengths to not shoot it on sound stages with digital environments. The internet has proven that by revealing pictures of our shoot. Thank you, internet!"
"But we wanted something that felt grounded [and] real, but you put Hugh Jackman in his most iconic character alongside Ryan Reynolds in his most iconic character...I would say it's more a descendant of Midnight Run, and 48 Hours, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles than it is a descendant of Airplane!"
All signs point to Levy being the right person to deliver a team-up we've spent years waiting for. However, as Deadpool 3 is also going to be a key chapter in the ongoing Multiverse Saga, the director will have more than just a team-up to juggle.
Alongside Reynolds and 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.