Deadpool 3 Release Date, Cast, Director, Rating And More Details
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In March 2019, Hollywood experienced a seismic shift. That's when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. While this prompted quite a bit of debate about monopolies and the future of film (rather important stuff), it was exciting news for MCU fans. Fox was home to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and the purchase opened the door for characters like Reed Richards, Charles Xavier, and Dr. Doom to appear alongside the likes of Bucky Barnes, Wanda Maximoff, and Dr. Strange. It also set the stage for perhaps the most foul-mouthed superhero in history to show up in the MCU.
Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, the character of Deadpool stole our hearts and killed so many people when he debuted on the big screen in 2016. Played by Ryan Reynolds, the Merc With a Mouth broke the fourth wall, took superhero movies to edgy new extremes, and made box office history when his film became the highest-rated R-rated movie ever. That record was broken two years later with "Deadpool 2," which further cemented leading man Ryan Reynolds as limb-chopping, F-bomb dropping star.
But with Disney's acquisition of Fox, many of us wondered if a character as raunchy as Deadpool could exist in the same world as Captain America. Well, as it turns out, Wade Wilson is indeed getting his own solo MCU film. "Deadpool 3" is on the way, and if you want to know more about the antihero's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, read on for everything we know about the project so far.
When will Deadpool 3 be released?
So, when will we see the Merc With a Mouth back on the big screen? Well, "Deadpool 3" has been jumping all over the calendar. The film was originally scheduled for September 6, 2024, but when the long-troubled "Blade" movie was pushed back, that sent a ripple effect across the MCU, bumping "Deadpool 3" over to November 8, 2024.
Then, after the writers' strike and various production delays kicked "Deadpool 3" over to May 3, 2024, the movie was forced to shut down due to the actors' strike. The movie was halfway finished when cameras stopped rolling in July 2023, with Deadline reporting that the film would no longer hit its May 2024 release date.
But now that the actors' strike is over, what's the plan for "Deadpool 3?" Well, it's been kicked back to July 26, 2024, taking the spot previously occupied by "Captain America: Brave New World." (The fourth Cap adventure has been moved to 2025.) At the moment, it appears that "Deadpool 3" will be 2023's lone MCU movie, which is quite the departure for Marvel Studios. The superhero behemoth has been releasing 2-3 films a year since 2012, when "The Avengers" was the only MCU movie at that year's box office.
Who is starring in Deadpool 3?
If you thought three Spider-Men sharing the screen in "No Way Home" was cool, then get ready for "Deadpool 3." The upcoming superhero flick features a similarly awesome team-up, with Ryan Reynolds starring as the titular mercenary and Hugh Jackman playing the Wolverine.
The last time we saw the cigar-chomping X-Man, he was sacrificing himself in "Logan." So how is he back? It's most likely because the MCU has introduced the concept of multiverses, where anyone can show up at any time. And now, we can't wait to see the wise-cracking Reynolds share the screen with a cranky Hugh Jackman, especially since the latter will be wearing his comic book-accurate yellow-and-blue suit for the very first time.
As for the tried-and-true "Deadpool" crew, Morena Baccarin is returning as Vanessa, Stefan Kapicic is portraying Colossus, and Karan Soni will get plenty of laughs as Dopinder. Leslie Uggams will appear as Blind Al, Rob Delaney is back from the dead as X-Force member Peter, and Brianna Hildebrand and Shioli Kutsuna return as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio, respectively. Unfortunately, one "Deadpool" favorite isn't returning, as Domino actress Zazie Beetz explained to Decider that she isn't involved with the upcoming movie.
Who else is in Deadpool 3?
The cast for "Deadpool 3" is stacked with A-list actors. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman will be joined by Jennifer Garner, who's reprising the role of Elektra, the sai-wielding assassin from 2004's "Daredevil" and a 2005 standalone movie. Emma Corrin of "The Crown" will star as an unknown villain, and Matthew Macfadyen of "Succession" fame has joined the cast. There are also strong rumors that Owen Wilson's Mobius M. Mobius and Tara Strong's Miss Minutes — both from the "Loki" show — could appear in the film, lending credence to the idea that multiverses will factor heavily in "Deadpool 3."
Speaking of rumors, there's also gossip that Daniel Radcliffe might appear, that Dafne Keen might return as Laura Kinney/X-23, and that Liev Schreiber will return as Sabretooth. (Spoiler alert: We know for a fact that some form of Sabretooth will appear in the film, based on leaked set photos, as will X-Men baddie Toad, although we don't know who's playing either character.) Perhaps the most explosive rumor regards megastar Taylor Swift, who might play disco-inclined mutant Dazzler. When asked about this by TheWrap, director Shawn Levy replied, "I'm going across the board. 'No comment' because that's a double whammy. That's Taylor-related. And it's MCU-related. I'm no dummy. You're going to have to wait and see."
What is the plot of Deadpool 3?
We don't really know what to expect from "Deadpool 3," other than the fact it's going to be hilarious seeing Wade Wilson getting on Wolverine's nerves. However, we do know that at one point in time, these two were going to hit the open road. In January 2021 — after the MCU's "Deadpool 3" was made official but before Hugh Jackman's involvement was announced — Ryan Reynolds tweeted, "Before Disney bought Fox, 'Deadpool 3' was gonna be a road trip between Deadpool and Logan. 'Rashomon' style. For real."
With the reference to Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon," we're assuming we would've gotten different versions of the road trip told from Deadpool and Wolverine's perspective, with neither one remembering the journey in the same way. Will that plot carry over to the MCU version of "Deadpool?" At this moment, we can't say one way or another.
However, it does seem that the multiverse will factor into the plot. In November 2023, Ryan Reynolds announced we would meet the adorably ugly Dogpool, a canine variant of the Merc With a Mouth and a member of the multiversal Deadpool Corps. There have also been rumors that the Time Variance Authority — notably seen in the "Loki" series — might factor into the movie. When asked if the TVA would play a part in the film, "Loki" executive producer Kevin Wright told ComicBook.com, "I think everything we are doing here certainly lays the groundwork for fertile storytelling elsewhere. ... I always kind of think of them as our time-based multiverse version of SHIELD that it's like we can use them in so many places and tell so many cool stories."
Who is directing Deadpool 3?
To date, every "Deadpool" film has been helmed by a different filmmaker. The original movie was directed by Tim Miller ("Terminator: Dark Fate"), and the second was overseen by David Letich ("Bullet Train"). So who's directing the third installment of the series? Once again, it's a brand new director, but it's also someone who has quite the connection with star Ryan Reynolds.
"Deadpool 3" will be directed by Shawn Levy, who previously collaborated with Reynolds on "Free Guy" and "The Adam Project," so the two clearly enjoy working together. Levy has also been a big mover and shaker in the world of "Stranger Things," producing the series and directing several episodes, including perhaps the greatest episode of the entire show: "Dear Billy." On top of all that, Levy directed the "Night at the Museum" franchise, so looking at his filmography, the man definitely has a gift for handling comedy, action, and real-deal emotions.
Levy also plans on paying tribute to the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel entertainment. As he explained to Total Film magazine (via Yahoo! Entertainment), "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.' Fox also shaped Ryan's career, Hugh's career, and my career. 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."
Who is writing Deadpool 3?
Originally, Wend Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin were tapped to write the script for "Deadpool 3." The sisters serve as producers on "Bob's Burgers," and they won an Emmy for their writing on the series. With that show's unique comedy stylings, you can see why the Molyneuxs were brought on to craft the screenplay. However, at some point, they were subbed out for Paul Wernick and Rhett Rheese, who wrote the previous "Deadpool" movies, as well as both "Zombieland" movies.
Speaking with Den of Geek, Wernick and Rheese couldn't reveal if they were keeping any elements from the Molyneuxs' version of the script. However, they did say that Marvel was very much backing their vision. As Reese explained, "I think they've been incredibly supportive of what we're doing, because obviously we were doing it separate from them for a long time, and I think they've seen the success and they've had their own even greater success. So hopefully it'll be a marriage made in heaven. But we've definitely got their support, and that's a great thing to feel."
What will Deadpool 3 be rated?
With "Deadpool 3" coming over to Disney, fans might be worried about what they can expect. After all, the first two "Deadpool" movies are notorious for their raunchy jokes, F-bombs, and gratuitous amounts of blood. Is that stuff going to fly at the House of Mouse? Well, the folks at Disney and Marvel have gone out of their way to assure fans that the Deadpool they know and love will stay his same vulgar self.
In 2017, Disney CEO Bob Iger told everyone not to worry. "['Deadpool'] clearly has been and will be Marvel branded," Iger said during a media call. "But we think there might be an opportunity for a Marvel-R brand for something like 'Deadpool.'" Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige went even further in February 2023, telling Entertainment Weekly that Deadpool would be the company's "first R-rated film."
Even the screenwriters, Paul Wernick and Rhett Rheese, have made it clear that Disney isn't interfering with their work — too much, anyway. When Den of Geek asked about the film's R-rating and if the Disney/Marvel executives were trying to curb any of the crude humor, Reese responded, "Don't worry about that. They've been very supportive with regard to that. Now when it comes to a particular joke, if we cross a line, maybe we'll hear at some point, 'Maybe not that joke.'" However, Wernick was insistent on one point: "Deadpool is gonna be Deadpool."
Where to watch the Deadpool movies
As we wait for Logan and Wade Wilson to trade barbs and blows, you can get caught up on the X-Men action by revisiting their previous adventures. To get started, check out the original "Deadpool" flick, where the Merc With a Mouth gets horribly disfigured, gains superpowers, and establishes himself as the funniest superhero to ever get a feature-length film. You can stream the movie on Disney+, or you can rent it on streaming platforms like Google Play, Amazon Video, Vudu, and YouTube.
In "Deadpool 2," Wade Wilson's life is torn apart after his girlfriend, Vanessa, gets fridged. However, he's forced to get out of his funk when a time-traveling Cable decides to go all Terminator on a young, fiery mutant. Along the way, he forms the X-Force to hilarious results, and he gets some sweet revenge on the geniuses who decided to sew his mouth shut back in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." You can stream "Deadpool 2" on Disney+, or you can rent it on sites like Google Play, Amazon Video, Vudu, and YouTube.
Chances are good you'll also want to catch up on Wolverine's backstory. You can find many of the X-Men movies, including Logan's swan song, on Disney+.