Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine is an upcoming American adult superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters Deadpool and Wolverine, produced by Marvel Studios, Maximum Effort, and 21 Laps Entertainment, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and a sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018). The film is directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay he wrote with Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells. Reynolds and Hugh Jackman star as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively, alongside Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen. In the film, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) pulls Deadpool from his quiet life and sets him on a mission with Wolverine that will change the history of the MCU.
This article is about the 2024 film. For the comic book, see Wolverine and Deadpool.Deadpool & Wolverine
- Ryan Reynolds
- Rhett Reese
- Paul Wernick
- Zeb Wells
- Shawn Levy
- Kevin Feige
- Ryan Reynolds
- Shawn Levy
- Lauren Shuler Donner
- Ryan Reynolds
- Hugh Jackman
- Emma Corrin
- Matthew Macfadyen
- Dean Zimmerman
- Shane Reid
- July 26, 2024
United States
English
Development on a third Deadpool film began at 20th Century Fox by November 2016, but was placed on hold after the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019. Control of the character was transferred to Marvel Studios, which began developing a new film with Reynolds. It integrates Deadpool with the MCU and retains the R rating of the previous films, making it the first MCU film to have such a rating. Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin joined in November 2020 as writers. Reese and Wernick returned from the previous films for rewrites by March 2022, when Levy was hired as director. They, along with Reynolds and Wells, had difficulty figuring out the film's story until Jackman decided to reprise his role as Wolverine from Fox's X-Men films in August 2022. Filming began in May 2023 at Pinewood Studios in England, with additional filming in Norfolk and at Bovingdon Film Studios. Production was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, but resumed in November and wrapped in January 2024. The film's title was revealed a month later.
Deadpool & Wolverine is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 26, 2024, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.
Premise[edit]
Six years after the events of Deadpool 2 (2018),[1] Wade Wilson lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA)—a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline—pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).[2][3][4]
Reprising their roles from the previous Deadpool films are: Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Wilson's fiancée,[18][19] whose relationship with Wilson is further reinvented in the film according to Baccarin;[20] Rob Delaney as Peter, a member of Wilson's X-Force team;[21] Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Wilson's blind elderly roommate;[22] Karan Soni as Dopinder, a taxi driver and admirer of Wilson who serves as his de facto chauffeur;[22] Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, a teenage member of the X-Men with the mutant power to detonate atomic bursts from her body;[23] Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, a member of the X-Men with the mutant ability to transform his body into organic steel;[18] Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Negasonic Teenage Warhead's girlfriend and fellow X-Men member;[23] Randal Reeder as Buck;[24] and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, a member of X-Force.[13]
Several actors from previous Fox-produced Marvel films also reprise their roles, including: Aaron Stanford as Pyro, a mutant with the ability to manipulate fire;[25][13] Tyler Mane as Sabretooth, a mutant with extendable claws and superhuman strength;[26] and Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios, an assassin who wields a pair of sai, from Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005).[27] Also appearing in the film are: Dogpool, a canine variant of Wilson, played by dog actor Peggy;[28][29] Lady Deadpool, a female variant of Wilson;[30] and the mutants Toad,[31] Lady Deathstrike, and Azazel.[9] Additionally, Chris Hemsworth appears as Thor through repurposed archival footage from Thor: The Dark World (2013),[17][32] while Greg Hemphill plays a bartender,[33] and Wrexham A.F.C. player Ollie Palmer briefly appears as a bar attendee.[34] Rob McElhenney makes an undisclosed cameo appearance.[35]
Production[edit]
Background[edit]
After the success of Deadpool (2016), 20th Century Fox began developing two sequels. The third film was set to include the superhero team X-Force.[36] Deadpool director Tim Miller chose not to return for the sequels due to creative differences with star Ryan Reynolds, and David Leitch was hired to direct Deadpool 2 (2018) in November 2016. Fox was looking for another filmmaker to develop the third film.[37] In March 2017, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 co-writer Rhett Reese said X-Force would be introduced in Deadpool 2 before starring in a planned spin-off film that would launch "something bigger", separate from the third Deadpool film, which would be more personal.[38] When the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced in December 2017, the Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Reynolds's Deadpool would be integrated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This was despite those films being rated PG-13 and the Deadpool films being R-rated.[39] Iger said Disney was willing to make R-rated Deadpool films "as long as we let the audiences know what's coming" and said a "Marvel-R brand" could be created for characters like Deadpool.[40] In May 2018, Reynolds said a third Deadpool film may not be made due to the shift of focus to X-Force.[41] Reese and his writing partner Paul Wernick said a third film would happen after Reynolds took a break from the character and the X-Force film was released, similar to the MCU crossover film The Avengers (2012) being released between Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013).[42]
At the end of May 2018, Leitch expressed interest in returning for another Deadpool film, depending on the schedule.[43] A third Deadpool film was believed to be in active development by that August, with production planned to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, rather than in Vancouver, Canada, where the previous films were made.[44] Once Upon a Deadpool, a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2, was released at the end of the year. It was watched carefully by Disney and Marvel Studios to see how it might inform their approach to the character in the MCU.[45] While promoting Once Upon a Deadpool, Reynolds confirmed that a third Deadpool film was in development and said it would go in a "completely different direction".[46] Reynolds later revealed that they were considering a road trip film styled after Rashomon (1950) featuring Hugh Jackman's X-Men character James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine.[47] Karan Soni, who portrayed Dopinder in the first two Deadpool films, reiterated these plans and explained that the film would have focused on Deadpool trying to save Christmas by going on a road trip to the North Pole.[48] Jackman had himself envisioned a team-up film with Reynolds inspired by 48 Hrs. (1982) while attending a screening of Deadpool in 2016, but chose to retire from the role of Wolverine after Logan (2017).[49] In March 2019, Disney officially acquired Fox and gained the film rights to several Marvel Comics characters for Marvel Studios, including Deadpool and the X-Men.[50][51] The Marvel-based films that Fox had been developing were placed "on hold".[52]
Josh Brolin, who portrayed Cable in Deadpool 2 and Thanos in the MCU, said in June 2019 that he had discussed his future as Cable with Marvel Studios.[53] In October, Zazie Beetz said she would be surprised if she did not reprise her Deadpool 2 role of Domino in a future film.[54] That month, Reese and Wernick said they and Reynolds were taking a "much-needed rest from Deadpool" while they waited to hear from Marvel Studios about the franchise's future. They confirmed that another Deadpool film would be made, that it would be R-rated like the previous films, and that it would integrate the character with the MCU. Wernick said there was never a set pitch for a third Deadpool film between their exhaustion following Deadpool 2 and the announcement of Fox's acquisition by Disney. Reese said they now had to "land on the right idea and once we do, I think we'll be off to the races". The writers felt there would be more characters available in the MCU to act as foils for Deadpool compared to their restricted options among the characters that Fox had control over for the previous films.[55]
Development[edit]
Reynolds revealed in mid-October 2019 that he was meeting with Marvel Studios.[56] At that time, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was unsure how to integrate Deadpool into the MCU and was still thinking about how the X-Men and mutants in general would be added to the franchise. Feige described Reynolds as an "idea machine" who pitched many different approaches for the film, including unique approaches to the character that would only require a small budget, similar to films that debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Reynolds also pitched his previous idea for a Rashomon–style team-up film with Wolverine, which would tell one story from three different perspectives.[57] He was told that it would not be possible to include Wolverine in the film.[49][57] In December, Reynolds confirmed that the "whole team" was actively developing a Deadpool film at Marvel Studios.[58]
Reynolds and Marvel Studios met with potential writers throughout October 2020, including Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin whose pitch was in line with their intentions for the film. The Molyneux sisters were hired to write the screenplay the next month. Reynolds and Marvel Studios were open to Leitch returning for the film, but he was not expected to due to other commitments throughout 2021 and was not involved in hiring the writers.[5] Leitch later confirmed that he met with Marvel for the film, but both parties understood that scheduling and other commitments would prevent him from returning.[59] In January 2021, Feige reaffirmed that the film would receive an R rating and would be set in the MCU. Reynolds was supervising the scripting process at that time, and Feige said filming would not begin until after 2021 due to Reynolds's busy schedule.[60]
Music[edit]
Rob Simonsen was hired to compose the film's score by mid-July 2023. He previously worked with Levy on The Adam Project and the fourth season of Stranger Things.[158]
Marketing[edit]
A teaser trailer for the film was released during Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024. Nick Romano from Entertainment Weekly said the trailer confirmed the film's R rating and the fact that Deadpool would be "infiltrating" the MCU.[89] Austin Goslin of Polygon also highlighted the use of MCU elements and questioned whether Reynolds was playing the same version of Deadpool as he did in the previous films, due to how happy he is at the start of the trailer.[159] Wired's Angela Wattercutter noted a sexually explicit pegging joke in the trailer, a first for the MCU. Wattercutter speculated that the film could expand upon queer themes previously explored in Loki and the MCU Thor films.[160] The trailer's inclusion of the Secret Wars (2015) #5 comic book issue was also discussed, given that Marvel Studios had announced the film Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).[161][162][163] Shortly after the trailer's premiere, Jackman posted a tongue-in-cheek jab at Reynolds with a modified logo displaying "Wolverine & Asshole".[164] The trailer had 365 million global views in its first 24 hours, surpassing the record of Spider-Man: No Way Home (355.5 million views) to become the most-viewed trailer in that time period.[82] The reported views included the 123 million Super Bowl viewers who saw a 30-second version of the trailer.[165]
A "silence your phones" public service announcement (PSA) with Deadpool and Wolverine opened Disney's presentation at CinemaCon in April 2024, during which Feige and Levy debuted nine minutes of footage from the film. The Hollywood Reporter said this "drew the biggest laughter" of all the presentations at the convention.[166] It included repurposed Thor: The Dark World (2013) footage of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, who is mourning the supposed death of Deadpool rather than Loki as seen in that film.[17][32] The PSA was later released publicly.[167] An official trailer debuted on April 22, set to "Like a Prayer" by Madonna.[168] A trailer released on May 20, 2024, announcing ticket pre-sales included a QR code that led to a video of Reynolds reading a disclaimer for the film.[169] At the end of the month, a special popcorn bucket for the film's theatrical release was revealed,[170] after Feige had said it would be "intentionally crude and lewd". This was inspired by the viral popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two (2024).[171] The bucket is shaped like Wolverine's head with a "comically oversized" mouth for the popcorn or other snacks. A video reveal, set to the "Also sprach Zarathustra" fanfare which was famously used in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), shows Deadpool caressing the bucket as popcorn falls into its mouth and butter drips down its nose.[170] A teaser released in early June revealed that the character Lady Deadpool would appear in the film, prompting speculation about who played the role,[30] while Reynolds appeared as Deadpool in a "typically irreverent video" at CineEurope later that month to introduce 12 minutes of footage from the film.[172]
Marketing partners for the film included Reynolds's Aviation Gin,[173] Heineken,[174] DiGiorno,[175] Jack in the Box,[176] SuperX,[177] and Hot Topic.[178] Funko and Hot Toys produced action figures of characters from the film,[179][180] while Funko will also allow attendees at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con to be able to create personalized versions of their Funko Pop! figures modeled after Deadpool and Wolverine with various exclusives.[181] Variant covers featuring production stills and promotional images from the film will be available on issues of Deadpool #3 in June 2024, Deadpool #4 and Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #3 in July, and Deadpool #5, Deadpool Team-Up #1, and Wolverine: Revenge #1 in August.[182]
Release[edit]
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to have its world premiere in New York City.[183] The film is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2024,[184] and then in the United States and China on July 26,[139][185] in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD, and other premium large formats (PLMs).[85] It was previously scheduled for September 6 of that year,[8] then November 8,[94] and then May 3.[125] It will be part of Phase Five of the MCU.[125] The Motion Picture Association gave the film an R rating, making the film the first in the MCU to be rated as such.[186]
Box office projections[edit]
Fandango announced that ticket pre-sales for the film were the best of 2024, the franchise's best, and the best for an R-rated film on the site, while AMC Theatres announced that 200,000 people bought first-day tickets at AMC, the most sales for any R-rated film at the theater chain. The Hollywood Reporter reported that first-day ticket sales were likely around $8–9 million and felt the film would debut at over $100 million, something no 2024 film release had done by late May.[187] The Quorum, which looks at box office projections for films as early as six weeks ahead of release, projected the film would open between $200–239 million, noting these were conservative projections and that it was likely to open higher. Deadline Hollywood noted that no R-rated film had ever opened domestically over $200 million, with the record opening for an R-rated film being the first Deadpool with $132.4 million.[188]
