Yes, Deadpool 3 has direction at last! To bring Deadpool into the proper Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney needed someone who could both accentuate Ryan Reynolds’ strengths and make sure there’s an actual solid script around him. (Let’s be honest, Red Notice is a series of one liners held together by star wattage and little else.) Chances are Disney found the right guy. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Stranger Things producer and Free Guy director Shawn Levy is in negotiations to direct Deadpool 3.
Levy and Reynolds, brought together by Hugh Jackman, have another collaboration arriving this week: The Adam Project.
Though they’ve had writers for a while — Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin of Bob’s Burgers — Disney selecting a director makes it feel like this is going to happen. But we still don’t know when. One reason for the unclear production start date may be to wait out a clock on Fox’s contractual obligations to other streaming services. Though it probably didn’t hurt Disney+ to not be the streaming premiere spot for the terrible X-Men: Dark Phoenix and mediocre The New Mutants, not getting to be the first streaming home of Deadpool 3 would be embarrassing.
There’s also the question of how hard an R Deadpool 3 will be. The PG-13 version of Deadpool 2, Once Upon a Deadpool, was a novelty, but not nearly as embraced. Former Disney CEO and creative champion Bob Iger did promise Marvel Studios would make a Deadpool 3 in the wake of Disney buying Fox, and that it would still be an R-rated film. Current Disney CEO and consumer product champion Bob Chapek is still formulating Disney’s strategy for R-rated product. While Disney+ is instituting parental controls starting next week in order to show the recently reacquired Marvel Netflix series, it’s another big step to actively produce R-rated content. But a promise is a promise, right?
Putting business aside — WE’RE GETTING DEADPOOL 3!
