Deadpool & Wolverine will see Wade Wilson and Logan’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. However, that almost didn’t happen as lead star Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy nearly ran out of ideas to create a perfect narrative for the Merc with a Mouth as he joined the Multiverse. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman had changed the threequel’s fate, and it all started with one phone call.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Jackman, Reynolds, and Levy discussed the process of creating Deadpool & Wolverine for the MCU. Though Reynolds admitted wanting to reprise his iconic role in a standalone movie, he realized doing it required a lot of sacrifices. Hence, there was a reason as to why it took six years before a third movie was made following David Leitch’s 2018 Deadpool 2.
“In a normal movie, you work your ass off,” the actor said. “But on a movie like this, you forsake a lot of things that you maybe took for granted: sleep, seeing your family, the myth of the present father.”
However, besides these common problems, Reynolds revealed that he had a very intense relationship with his character and his fictional world. After Disney acquired Fox, he was already pitching ideas to Marvel Studios for the third movie, but he found it hard to find his place in the MCU. Even if Levy had already joined the team, the biggest roadblock they faced was finding a story that would fit the character.
“We frankly struggled to find a story that felt original and non-derivative of the other two Deadpool movies,” Reynolds continued. “It had to be deserving of the first Deadpool entry into the MCU, but also feel grounded because this is an earthbound, gritty, realistic superhero franchise. We had fits and starts.”
Due to this issue, Reynolds and Levy almost gave up and were already at the edge of telling Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige that they couldn’t develop a story. However, everything changed when Jackman called Reynolds in August 2022, wanting his next major movie to be Deadpool & Wolverine.
“I was sitting on a beach, not a care in the world, and for some reason, the thought came into my head: What do you want to do?” Jackman explained. “And the first two things had nothing to do with work—then literally, I thought: Deadpool-Wolverine. I want to do that movie. That’s what I want.”
As a meeting with Feige was already set at the time, with Jackman finally on board, the movie already had a direction to go. Reynolds didn’t let this “one in a billion chance” pass, revealing it was what they had been looking for all along. And though Feige warned Jackman about his return after the perfect ending of James Mangold’s 2017 Logan, the Australian actor knew it was the much-awaited comeback he was waiting for.
“Everything felt new and fresh to me,” he added. “And I’d be sharing it with Ryan and Shawn, who are two of my best friends. The three of us together are like the Three Amigos. There was not a day where I wasn’t in tears laughing. I felt so rejuvenated playing the part. I mean, I’m 25 years in, man, and it feels better than ever.”
Deadpool & Wolverine to Show Logan’s Different Side
After Logan puts an emotional and definitive end to the character, Deadpool & Wolverine will feature Jackman’s return as the adamantium-clawed hero. Though there were some concerns about continuity problems, the 55-year-old knew that the MCU movie would let them show Logan’s different side compared to what he had done before. Everything would be different from emotion, humor, dialogue, and action.
Reynolds revealed they had a “very loose idea” of bringing Wolverine back without interfering with Logan’s story. Feige, Jackman, Levy, and Reynolds knew they had to protect the movie’s legacy while telling the “most full-throated” Wolverine story, which he called a “huge nerve-wracking privilege.” And though Jackman pitched some story ideas for his character, Levy and Reynolds did all the work.
Deadpool & Wolverine is poised to be a summer blockbuster. Aside from the titular characters’ jump into the MCU, fans must see how it will feature Wolverine’s return after his supposed death in Logan.
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to hit the big screen on July 26, 2024.
