It seems the production team behind Deadpool & Wolverine were keeping one big surprise under wraps until the release of the final trailer. A quick shoot revealed that SPOILER: [Dafne Keen's X-23] will be returning in the movie.
Recently, inverse caught up with Deadpool & Wolverine producer Wendy Jacobson (She-Hulk, San Andreas) to discuss the reveal and how that unfolded on set.
Spoilers follow.
If you've made it this far, then you're aware that we're referring to none other than the return of Dafne Keen's X-23.
Touching on her reunion with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Jacobson shared, "It’s interesting because cameo is a word we don’t really say in our film. To us, it’s purely story-driven. If someone is showing up, they have a beginning, middle, and end."
"Dafne coming in gives the film a real emotional poignancy and resonance. I will say, the one thing from the filmmakers side that was so cool was seeing Dafne and Hugh see each other for the first time before we started shooting."
"I’m pretty sure they hadn’t see each other in several years. She was just a kid when they made that movie and now she’s a grown-up, so it was really beautiful to see them reconnect."
Based on Jacobson's comments, it seems Keen won't just have a cameo in the film and that her appearance will be central to the plot.
Without going too far into (potential) spoiler territory, the prevailing theory is that the Wolverine teaming up with Deadpool in the film is a Variant from 2017's Logan, one who failed to stop X-24 and the Reavers from carrying out Transigen's nefarious plan.
In Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine, Shawn Levy directs Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Ryan Reynold's Deadpool in an MCU film that has been described as an epic, time-traveling, road-trip buddy film that will change the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever.
Joining Jackman and Reynolds are Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova (Professor X's evil twin), Matthew Macfadyen as the Time Variance Authority's Mr. Paradox, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Rob Delaney as Peter Wisdom, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio.
Also appearing in supporting roles are Stefan Kapičić as Colossus, Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, Aaron Stanford as Pyro, Tyler Mane as Sabretooth, and Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios.
Deadpool & Wolverine opens in North American theaters on July 26.
Deadpool & Wolverine Synopsis: Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date – Deadpool & Wolverine. A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to – [frick]. Synopses are so [frick]ing stupid.