Deadpool 3 is one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming superhero films. Ryan Reynolds is returning as the beloved anti-hero Wade Wilson/Deadpool, who made his on-screen debut back in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The first trailer for Deadpool 3 was released during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11. The footage teases Deadpool’s reunion with Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine in the film, which is officially titled Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool got his own movie in 2016 which grossed over $782 million at the worldwide box office and was warmly received by critics. The sequel, Deadpool 2, came out two years later and earned over $785 million worldwide with positive critic responses. Both films are rated R and break the fourth wall. Deadpool/Wade Wilson is a former special forces operative-turned-mercenary who takes a serum that gives him mutant genes. Ryan has become synonymous with the Deadpool character.
Fans are pumped for the third film, especially because Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine. It’s also been confirmed that Jennifer Garner will return as Elektra. And those rumors that Taylor Swift will make a cameo appearance still live on. Also, it’s the first Deadpool movie to be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here’s everything you need to know about Deadpool 3, including the release date, the cast, and more.
The moment Hugh’ve all been waiting for. #DeadpoolWolverine pic.twitter.com/kSY7ZTCG7P
— Deadpool Movie (@deadpoolmovie) February 11, 2024
Deadpool 3 Release Date
The third Deadpool movie will be released in theaters on July 26, 2024, according to Deadline. The original release date was September 6, 2024, but it was delayed to November 8, and then moved up to May 3. Another delay set the film’s final release date as July 26. After its theatrical run, the film is expected to be available to stream on Disney+, which is home to the first two Deadpool movies.
Filming for Deadpool 3 began around May 2023, according to director Shawn Levy. “On or about. Yep,” Shawn told Collider. “The truth is the more digitally CG-heavy a movie is, the longer time you need in post. But obviously it’s the first Deadpool movie in the MCU. There’s going to be no lack of visual effects. But it’s also a North Star priority for Ryan and I to keep Deadpool raw, gritty, grounded in the ways that those movies have been and that all of us love.”
Deadpool 3 Cast & Crew
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine will lead the cast of Deadpool 3. Leslie Uggams is returning as Blind Al, Deadpool’s roommate and BFF. Other cast members include Emma Corrin as the film’s villain, Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox, a Time Variance Authority agent, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Wade’s fiancé, and Karan Soni as Dopinder. Aaron Stanford reprises his role as Pyro from the X-Men movies. Since this is the first Deadpool movie to be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s also a chance we see characters from any of the MCU movies.
Jennifer Garner was reported to be playing Elektra, a skilled assassin and bounty hunter, by The Hollywood Reporter on July 7, 2023. It will be the first time the beloved actress will play Elektra in nearly 20 years. She starred in her own Elektra movie in 2005.
Emma Corrin will make their MCU debut as one of the film’s villains, but it has yet to be revealed what their character will be. The actor was a hit in their starring role as Princess Diana in the Netflix series The Crown. Ryan tweeted welcoming them to the film franchise. “New addition to the family! The Deadpool family, for clarity. Which is just like a real family except with less swearing… Welcome, Emma Corrin!” he wrote.
There have also been rumors that Taylor Swift, who is good friends with Ryan and his wife Blake Lively, could appear in Deadpool 3. The theories started when fans noticed that Ryan and Hugh’s Deadpool 3 teaser was actually shot in the same house Taylor filmed her All Too Well: The Short Film. Ryan told Entertainment Tonight in Nov. 2022 that Taylor won’t be in the movie, but that he would “of course” be open to working with the pop star.
“Are you kidding me? I would do anything for that woman. She’s a genius,” he said. Ryan also confirmed that his entire family is “obsessed” with Taylor’s new album Midnights.
Shawn Levy is directing Deadpool 3. Shawn previously worked with Ryan on Free Guy and The Adam Project. He’s also an executive producer on Netflix’s Stranger Things. Bob’s Burgers screenwriters Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin are writing Deadpool 3 with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote the first two films.
Is Hugh Jackman Returning As Wolverine In Deadpool 3?
Yes, Hugh is playing Logan/Wolverine again for Deadpool 3. Ryan basically broke the internet when he announced this news on Sept. 27, 2022. “Hey everyone, we’re extremely sad to have missed D23, but we’ve been working very hard on the next Deadpool film for a good long while now,” Ryan said at the beginning of the social media video. “I’ve had to really search my soul on this one. His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special. We need to stay true to the character, find new depth, motivation, meaning.”
Yeah, sure. pic.twitter.com/LaSBjDeLjI
— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) September 27, 2022
Then, Ryan revealed that the Deadpool team decided to bring back Wolverine. “Hey, Hugh, you want to play Wolverine one more time?” he asked as Hugh nonchalantly walked by behind him. “Yeah, sure, Ryan,” Hugh replied.
Hugh first portrayed Wolverine, the Marvel comic book character with Adamantium metal claws, in 2000’s X-Men and went on to portray him in nine films, the last being 2017’s Logan. The beloved character died in Logan (SPOILER ALERT!), but Ryan and Hugh confirmed that Wolverine’s passing isn’t being undone by Deadpool 3. “Logan takes place in 2029. Totally separate thing. Logan died in Logan. Not touching that,” Ryan said in a second video. It’s possible Hugh is playing a different iteration of Logan/Wolverine thanks to the multiverse in the MCU.
Hugh appeared on the Empire Film Podcast in December 2022 and revealed that Deadpool and Wolverine “hate each other” in the third film. “How do I categorize it? Ten being really close, zero being the reality: we’re zero; we’re opposites, hate each other,” the actor explained. “I’m just talking from my perspective. [Logan is] frustrated by him [and] wants to be a million miles away from him or wants to punch him in the head. Unfortunately, he can’t be a million miles away from him in this movie, so I’m probably going to punch him in the head a lot.”
On July 10, 2023, Ryan and Hugh shared a photo from the film of Hugh dressed in Wolverine’s yellow and blue suit. The image showed the two co-stars walking side-by-side in their superhero costumes. “Don’t blink,” they wrote alongside the photo.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on the set of ‘DEADPOOL 3’ pic.twitter.com/HLi0OxZQxs
— Complex Pop Culture (@ComplexPop) July 10, 2023
What Will Deadpool 3 Be About?
The trailer for Deadpool 3 reveals some of the plot. Wade is captured by TVA agents, and their leader tells him, “You are special. This is your chance to be a hero among heroes.” Wade suits up as Deadpool for a bunch of wild action scenes. The trailer ends with Deadpool being approached by Wolverine.
This will be a game-changing movie for the franchise since it’s now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney acquired 21st Century Fox back in 2019, thus obtaining the rights to the Deadpool and X-Men franchises. That allowed for Patrick Stewart‘s Professor Charles Xavier to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now, Deadpool exists in the same universe as beloved MCU characters like Elizabeth Olsen‘s Wanda Maximoff, Paul Rudd‘s Ant-Man, Brie Larson‘s Captain Marvel, and more.
Deadpool 3 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick teased the third movie back in 2019 and spoke about how Deadpool will be integrated into the MCU.
“There’s a lot to be sorted out, like how Deadpool fits into the Marvel Universe with the other characters and into the release schedule of the MCU,” Paul told Den of Geek. “Then it’s, do the X-Men get in there at some point? Fantastic Four? There’s a lot to be sorted out and I think we’re all getting a much-needed rest from Deadpool — Ryan and us and everybody.” Rhett added, “The promise is that there will be more Deadpool. He will live in the R-rated universe that we’ve created, and hopefully we’ll be allowed to play a little bit in the MCU sandbox as well and incorporate him into that.”