'Deadpool & Wolverine' Director Says New Film Is A 'Different Thing'

By Andrew Sanford | Film | April 15, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | April 15, 2024 |

Deadpool was a huge hit. Made possible thanks to leaked test footage, the 2016 comic book movie struck a chord with critics and audiences alike. The film’s crude humor and high action earned it over $750 million worldwide and helped it stick out in a crowded superhero market. A sequel was released two years later, earning more money than its predecessor and doing slightly less well with critics. Regardless, Deadpool was here to stay, even if the company that made him wasn’t.

20th Century Fox is responsible for the X-Men movie franchise. The films were immensely popular and used characters purchased from Marvel in the 90s. They existed in their own universe, and Deadpool was able to take advantage of that. The films let the character run wild with tiny hands and fisting jokes. The R-rated comedies had no counterparts at the “Big Two.” That made it the last successful entry into the Fox X-Men universe.

Disney would purchase 20th Century Fox, bringing Deadpool and the X-Men back under the Marvel banner. At that time, it seemed that Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel would start the X-Men over from scratch. Then, Marvel partnered with Sony to produce Spider-Man: No Way Home. The legacy flick brought Toby McGuire and Andrew Garfield back as their respective Spider-Men and made over a billion dollars during a pandemic. Now, Feige is not only bringing Deadpool into the MCU, he’s bringing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine along with him.

Deadpool & Wolverine will see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team up under the Marvel banner. Despite it being the next Deadpool film, director Shawn Levy says the movie won’t be a traditional sequel. “It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies,” the Director shared with Screen Rant. “They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.”

The movie will still stand apart from the MCU. As the director mentions, it’s “going to be gnarly” and “it’s gonna be funny,” which is promising because I would argue that few of the MCU movies are actually funny. Regarding the big cameos or surprises, Levy had this to say. “I wouldn’t say that there were any big surprises, but you feel where the pace wants to tighten, you feel where you can afford to slow down and have a deeper, more durable character moment.”

Deadpool & Wolverine will yuck it up in theaters on July 26th, 2024.