2022 is nearly at an end, and we find it hard to imagine there being a bigger news story than Hugh Jackman joining the MCU as Wolverine for Deadpool 3. The announcement broke the internet, and both he and co-star Ryan Reynolds have now addressed how their upcoming team-up came to be in an interview with Variety.
Jackman started by saying his interest in playing the clawed mutant again first arose in 2016. "I went to a screening of 'Deadpool.' I was 20 minutes in, and I was like, 'Ah, damn it!' All I kept seeing in my head was '48 Hours' with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. So it’s been brewing for a long time. It just took me longer to get here."
Of course, by that point, he'd already shot Logan, a movie that ended Wolverine's story and served as Jackman's "official" retirement from the role.
However, after constant "on the daily" pleas from Reynolds to return as the X-Man, the actor finally made his mind up this past August. It was then he made the call to his old friend. "I think, actually, he’d given up," Jackman says. "I think it was a big shock to him. There was a massive pause, and then he said, 'I can’t believe the timing of this.'"
Funnily enough, the call came right as the Deadpool actor was about to meet with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
"Oh my God, I’m thrilled. It’s like old home week. To get to be on set with one of my closest friends each and every day is a dream come true. But to do it with these two iconic characters side by side, that’s beyond our wildest dreams," Reynolds says, revealing that he actually pushed for Wolverine to be included in Deadpool 3 when they first met three and a half years ago.
"It wasn’t possible then," he adds. "For this to be happening now is pretty damn exciting."
We're all referring to this movie as Deadpool 3, but is that what Jackman expects it to be called? "Well, not in my heart. I’m pretty sure Wolverine wouldn’t like that title."
Deadpool 3 (Deadpool vs. Wolverine?) is set to be released in theaters on November 8, 2024.