Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige has confirmed the next Deadpool instalment will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and remain R-rated.
In an interview with Collider, Feige put to bed fears that Ryan Reynolds’ foul-mouthed superhero had been kept in its own lane, given the predominantly PG-13-rated nature of the existing MCU. Marvel Studios is currently working on a script overseen by Reynolds himself.
Feige said: “It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan’s overseeing [it]”, adding that, despite being green-lit, Deadpool 3 won’t begin filming this year. “Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor. We’ve got a number of things we’ve already announced that we now have to make, but it’s exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.”
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“A force of nature” is something of an understatement considering the mindless profanity and penchant for violence of Marvel’s now-iconic masked superhuman. But Reynolds’ charisma – coupled with the less family-friendly approach to storytelling afforded by being a Fox production – meant the first Deadpool movie was an unexpected hit, and it’s no surprise that Feige and company are committed to retaining Wade Wilson’s trademark humor.
Late last year, it was reported that Bob's Burgers writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin were co-writing the script for Deadpool 3.
A different kind of hero
Deadpool as a character offers a refreshing antidote to the squeaky clean heroism of Marvel’s other properties. His existence in the MCU could be explained in a number of different ways: Deadpool's fourth wall-breaking humor means he lives outside of his own universe, to some extent, while the possibility of a Marvel multiverse also offers a window to bring the character across from the Fox movies.
Naturally, it comes as no surprise that production on Deadpool 3 isn’t yet underway. Feige and Marvel have enough on their plate as filming kicks off for Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange 2, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and so on (see what we mean?). It’s unlikely, then, that we’ll see Ryan Reynolds’ masked vigilante on our screens any time before 2023.
That said, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility to expect Deadpool to crop up in one of the studio’s many Disney Plus projects – it’s not as though he’s short of entry points. But regardless of his ETA, it’s good to see Marvel has a plan for the Merc with a Mouth.
