Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy shared how the legacy of the Marvel movies produced under Fox will play a major role in the threequel’s premise.
In an exclusive interview with Total Film (via Slashfilm), Levy addressed the long-awaited pairing of Ryan Reynolds‘ Merc with the Mouth and Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe-set movie. While Deadpool 3’s concept has been described as a buddy movie in the vein of 48 HRS., Levy explains how his approach to the threequel was one that serves as a love letter to the critically-acclaimed Fox Marvel adaptations which paved the way for the MCU. “Deadpool and Wolverine are iconic Marvel characters; more specifically, iconic Marvel-of-the-Fox-era characters. We’re not going to pretend: ‘Oh, we snap our fingers, and suddenly that Fox legacy doesn’t exist, and it shaped a lot of what we now know as the MCU,’” Levy said.
Jackman went from an unknown Australian actor to an overnight superstar when he debuted as Logan/Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men. Reynolds debuted as a critically panned version of Deadpool opposite Jackman in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine before he played the comic-accurate version in 2016’s Deadpool. With both iconic Marvel characters playing an important role in the careers of Jackman and Reynolds, Levy explains how instrumental the Fox legacy will be in Deadpool 3. “Fox also shaped Ryan’s career, Hugh’s career and my career,” Levy continued. “So there’s a lot of history there, and there’s a lot of Marvel history at Fox. And certainly that’s a part of our storytelling.”
Which Marvel stars from the Fox era are rumored to appear in Deadpool 3?
Since the announcement of Jackman coming out of retirement in the Wolverine role, rumors have been rampant about stars from previous Fox-produced Marvel movies possibly making cameos in Deadpool 3. Cast speculation ranges from Jennifer Garner reprising Elektra from 2003’s Daredevil to James Marsden reprising Cyclops from the X-Men franchise. Additionally, Channing Tatum has been rumored to cameo as Gambit following the cancellation of his stand-alone movie in 2019. While none of these rumors have been confirmed, Deadpool creator Rob Liefield teased that the surprise cast will blow MCU fans away.
“Some stuff I was aware of, I had to be quiet before it was announced,” Liefield said. “I knew Hugh and Ryan were getting back together for ‘Deadpool 3.’ I’ve been very fortunate people put stuff in front of me. And trust me, all I’m saying is, I saw that cast list. I think people are just going to freakin’ get blown away, and I’m not saying shit more than what I just said.”
Deadpool 3 is scheduled for release on May 3, 2024.
