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 from Fox's X-Men film series 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 the X-Men films in August 2022, alongside numerous actors from various non-MCU productions. 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 premiered on July 22, 2024, at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City, and was released in the United States on July 26, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It set a record for the highest grossing opening debut for an R-rated film, and has grossed over $444.7 million worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2024.
Six years later, Wade has retired from being the masked mercenary known as Deadpool and is working as a used-car salesman after breaking up with his girlfriend Vanessa Carlysle. During his birthday party, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) captures Wade and brings him to Mr. Paradox, who offers him a place on Earth-616. However, Paradox also reveals that Wade's timeline is deteriorating as a result of the death it's stabilizing "anchor being", James "Logan" Howlett[b]. Paradox details his plans to use the "Time Ripper", a device he developed to mercy kill timelines, to prematurely destroy Wade's timeline. Wade steals Paradox's TemPad to travel the multiverse to find a variant of Logan to save his timeline.
After encountering various Logan variants, Wade takes one back to the TVA, where he learns that this particular Logan is considered the worst Wolverine in the multiverse. After an argument, during which Wade learns that Paradox is acting without the knowledge of his superiors, Paradox prunes Wade and Logan into the Void. There, Wade and Logan fight before they and Johnny Storm[c] are captured and taken to Cassandra Nova, the twin sister of X-Men leader Charles Xavier. Cassandra, who was pruned as an infant but made a deal with the TVA to stay willingly in the Void, kills Johnny and leaves Wade and Logan to be consumed by Alioth, although they manage to escape.
Logan and Wade meet a variant of Wade called "Nicepool", who gives them a car and points them to the Void's borderlands, where the resistance against Cassandra is located. However, Logan chastises Wade for hiding the fact that he is unable to fix Logan's timeline, leading to a fight that leaves them both unconscious. Laura[d] drives them to the borderlands, where they meet resistance members Elektra Natchios,[e]Eric Brooks,[f] and Remy LeBeau.[g] Wade dubs them the "Others" and proposes an alliance to fight Cassandra. Logan refuses to cooperate, but eventually relents after a conversation with Laura about his inability to save the X-Men in his universe. Wade, Logan, and the Others go to confront Cassandra, and manage to block her powers by placing Juggernaut's helmet on her head. However, Cassandra is betrayed and injured by her henchman Pyro on behalf of Paradox. Logan convinces Wade to remove the helmet, allowing Cassandra to heal and open a portal back to Wade's timeline.
Arriving on Earth-10005, Wade and Logan find that Paradox has begun to use the Time Ripper. Cassandra–learning Paradox's plan from Pyro before executing him–arrives through another portal and kidnaps Paradox. She plans to take control of the Time Ripper to destroy all timelines, leaving only the Void, as revenge for Paradox's betrayal. Cassandra summons an army of Deadpool variants that battle Wade and Logan, but Wade's friend Peter Wisdom arrives and convinces them all to retreat. Paradox tells Wade and Logan that one can disrupt the power flow of the Time Ripper. Using their bodies as conductors, Wade and Logan destroy the Time Ripper, killing Cassandra. Paradox is then arrested by Hunter B-15, who heads the TVA[h].
B-15 reveals that Wade and Logan's actions have stopped Wade's timeline from deteriorating. Wade requests B-15 free the Others from the Void, before asking if it is possible to rewrite the history of Logan's timeline. B-15 replies that it was his history that made Logan the hero needed to stop Cassandra and there is nothing to fix. Logan, who wishes to retire and live a peaceful life, is taken by Wade to meet his friends, along with Laura. On Logan's encouragement, Wade reconciles with Vanessa.
Cast
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool: A wisecracking mercenary from Earth-10005 with accelerated healing but severe scarring over his body after undergoing an experimental regenerative mutation to treat terminal cancer.[6] The start of the film sees Wilson no longer operating as Deadpool, no longer dating Vanessa, and working as a used car salesman.[7] Writer Rhett Reese described Deadpool as a fish-out-of water in the film, a lunatic dropped into the "sane world" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).[8] Reynolds said the audience did not have to take Deadpool seriously, particularly with his fourth wall breaking and unreliable narration, but he wanted them to be invested in the other characters.[9] Reynolds also portrays Nicepool, a long-haired, non-scarred variant of Wilson who lacks his healing factor, for which he is credited as "Gordon Reynolds".[5][10]
Hugh Jackman as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine: A former member of the X-Men and a mutant with healing abilities, retractable claws, and an adamantium-infused skeleton.[11] This version of the character is from an alternative universe where he let down its inhabitants.[12][7] This, along with pairing Wolverine with Deadpool, allowed Jackman to explore new aspects of the character than in his prior appearances in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.[13][9] Jackman said Logan and Wilson were opposites and had a "quarreling dynamic",[14] while director Shawn Levy said their relationship is impacted by both characters being "haunted with regret".[9] To prepare for the role, Jackman began a vigorous workout routine that included eating up to 8,000 calories a day.[15] Jackman also portrays numerous variants of Wolverine, including: one with the character's comics-accurate height of 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm); Wolverine's gambling alter-ego Patch, who wears an eyepatch and a white tuxedo; an Old Man Logan variant; a variant being crucified on a giant X, reminiscent of the cover of Uncanny X-Men (1981) #251; a variant wearing the original brown and tan costume from the comics; and an Age of Apocalypse variant with "glam rock-like" hair, one hand, and a black and red costume.[16][5]
Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova: A mutant in the Void with telekinetic and telepathic powers, who is the twin sister of Charles Xavier with other-worldly origins.[17][18]: 10:43–10:51 Corrin was excited to play a villain in the film as they had not played many villainous roles before.[19] Corrin took inspiration from Christoph Waltz's character Hans Landa in the film Inglourious Basterds (2009), while Reynolds highlighted Corrin's humanization and the motivation of the character, comparing Nova's "mischief, danger, [and] unpredictability" to the energy of actor Gene Wilder.[20] Reynolds and Levy explained Nova to Corrin as someone who would endear and charm you to the point that "you are going to be best friends for life" only to realize she could easily kill you.[7] Corrin was interested in having a physical transformation for the role but was told by the studio that this was not required for the character.[21] Corrin also wanted to pay homage to Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy's performances as Xavier in previous X-Men films, as well as be faithful to Nova's relationship with him from the comics.[22]
Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Paradox: A Time Variance Authority (TVA) agent who oversees an unsanctioned project to speed up the death of Earth-10005 by using the "Time Ripper", a machine which can mercy kill timelines. Paradox hopes to prove himself with this to become the leader of the TVA.[5]
Inhabitants of the Void who form the resistance and are nicknamed the "Others" include: Dafne Keen as Laura / X-23 from Logan (2017);[28]Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios from Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005);[29]Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks / Blade from the New Line Cinema's Blade film trilogy (1998–2004); Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau / Gambit, who had been attached to star as the character in an unproduced Gambit film; and Chris Evans (who previously portrayed Steve Rogers / Captain America in the MCU) as Johnny Storm / Human Torch from Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).[30] Keen rewatched Logan to help her prepare and return to the character after seven years, and was eager to explore an older version of Laura, who now has a better understanding and appreciation of what Logan had experienced in that film. In addition to the character's native Spanish, Laura now speaks English.[28] Snipes had to work out to for his body to become "Blade-ready" for the film, in addition to having customized foam in some parts of the costume. Having co-starred with Reynolds in Blade: Trinity (2004), Snipes found his humor to be "over the top," which he finally understood within the context of Deadpool & Wolverine which led to an "enjoyable" experience with him.[31] Johnny's costume is improved from his past ones, with Evans saying it was meant to be "a little more rundown" and less "pristine" because he's been living in the Void. He also noted Marvel Studios was more relaxed in creating the suit again opposed to originally when "everything had to be very precise" and there were "a lot of opinions" regarding its creation.[32]
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.[55]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.[56] 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.[57] 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.[58] 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.[59] In May 2018, Reynolds said a third Deadpool film may not be made due to the shift of focus to X-Force.[60] 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).[61]
At the end of May 2018, Leitch expressed interest in returning for another Deadpool film, depending on the schedule.[62] 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.[63]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.[64] 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".[65] Reynolds later revealed that they were considering a road trip film styled after Rashomon (1950) featuring Hugh Jackman's X-Men film series character James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine.[66]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.[67] 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).[68] 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.[69][70] The Marvel-based films that Fox had been developing were placed "on hold".[71]
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.[72] In October, Zazie Beetz said she would be surprised if she did not reprise her Deadpool 2 role of Domino in a future film.[73] 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.[74]
Development
Reynolds revealed in mid-October 2019 that he was meeting with Marvel Studios.[75] 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,[76] including a low budget road trip film with Deadpool and Dopinder that was compared to independent films from the Sundance Film Festival,[7] and one that included a dance number with Wolverine set to "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" by Elton John.[77] Reynolds also pitched his previous idea for a Rashomon–style team-up film with Wolverine, which would tell one story from three different perspectives.[76][7] He was told that it would not be possible to include Wolverine in the film.[68][76] In December, Reynolds confirmed that the "whole team" was actively developing a Deadpool film at Marvel Studios.[78]
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.[6] 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.[79] 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.[80]
Director Shawn Levy at CinemaCon in April 2024, where he promoted the film
While filming The Adam Project (2022) with director Shawn Levy, Reynolds approached Levy about working together on the next Deadpool film after they had become frequent collaborators. Reynolds assumed Levy would not be interested due to it being a sequel and not an original work, but Levy was enthused about the idea as long as they had the right story to tell.[9] In July 2021, Reynolds and Taika Waititi promoted their film Free Guy (2021), also directed by Levy, by appearing as Deadpool and Waititi's MCU character Korg, respectively, in a commercial for that film titled Deadpool and Korg React. Deadpool, who often breaks the fourth wall, discusses joining the MCU with Korg in the commercial.[81][82] The next month, Reynolds said he expected filming to begin in 2022,[83] which Feige soon confirmed. Feige added that Marvel Studios had a release timeframe in mind for the film.[84] In November, Beetz and Rob Delaney expressed interest in returning as their Deadpool 2 characters Domino and Peter,[85][86] but Beetz ultimately did not return for the third film.[87] Also in November, Reynolds said they were "plugging away" at the film.[88]
Levy was revealed to be directing the film in March 2022,[89][90] and said filming would not begin until after 2022 due to his busy schedule through the remainder of the year.[91] Reese and Wernick were hired to rewrite the screenplay,[89][90] and said they were excited to use MCU elements in the film. They added that Disney and Marvel were supportive of jokes about the MCU that they were writing for Deadpool given the success of the previous films. They would not confirm whether they were starting from scratch or reworking the previous draft by the Molyneux sisters.[92] In June, Raymond Chan was revealed to be the production designer after working on the Disney+ MCU series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).[93] Feige said in July that the film would be elevated from the first two in a similar way to other third installments of MCU film series, such as Captain America: Civil War (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018).[94]
Levy and Reynolds worked on the script with Reese, Wernick, and Zeb Wells,[9] who previously worked on the MCU series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) and Marvel Zombies (2024), and the film The Marvels (2023).[95][96] They all began to feel that they did not have an original story that was not derivative of the other Deadpool films. Levy explained that they felt the film had to be "deserving" of being the first Deadpool film set within the MCU, while still feeling "grounded because this is an earthbound, gritty, realistic superhero franchise". Levy and Reynolds were prepared to suggest to Feige that the film not move forward at that time because of the trouble they had landing on a story idea,[9] with executive producer Wendy Jacobson also stating that Marvel was struggling to settle on a core idea for the film.[76] In August 2022, Jackman reached out to Reynolds about wanting to be part of the film. Reynolds was preparing for a meeting with Feige to discuss how to proceed given their lack of story ideas, and realized that including Wolverine would solve many of the issues they were coming up against.[68][9] Jackman had a change of heart, after being content with his decision to retire as Wolverine for several years, and decided that a team-up film with Reynolds "could be so much fun; I'll probably have more fun on that movie than anything I've ever done".[14][68] Feige advised Jackman not to return, as he felt Wolverine's death in Logan was the "greatest ending in history" and did not want to undo that. He was won over by the idea that Jackman would portray a new version of Wolverine, and Jackman confirmed that he wanted to return after taking a long drive to think about it.[13]
Reynolds announced in September 2022 that Jackman would return as Wolverine for Deadpool 3, which was set for release on September 6, 2024.[11] The pair said the film would avoid affecting the events of Logan by using a narrative device from Marvel Studios that allowed different versions of characters to move around timelines.[97][98] Levy said preserving Logan's legacy was top priority for the creative team.[9] Jackman reached out to Logan director James Mangold to inform him of the film's story and said Mangold was both enthusiastic about the idea and relieved that Logan would not be impacted.[14] Alongside Feige, Reynolds and Levy produced the film through their respective production companies Maximum Effort and 21 Laps Entertainment,[99][100][101] as did X-Men film producer Lauren Shuler Donner.[102]Simon Kinberg served as an executive producer after producing the previous Deadpool films and some X-Men films.[103][104][105] He said the film had been authored by Levy, Reynolds, and Feige, and they all cared deeply about Logan, Deadpool, and Wolverine.[104] Levy added that the legacies of Deadpool and Wolverine informed the film's story and themes.[7] Jackman said the film may not be titled Deadpool 3,[68] with Reynolds later referring to it as "The Deadpool/Wolverine film",[106] and Jackman referring to it as Wolverine and Deadpool.[107] Levy said the creative team were discussing multiple options for the title, and he had at times referred to it as Deadpool Versus Wolverine, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Deadpool 3 with Wolverine.[108] The film was originally titled Deadpool & Friend, but this was changed the night before the official title was announced as Deadpool & Wolverine in February 2024 because the former title had been leaked.[109][110] Levy acknowledged that it was the third Deadpool film but he did not want to call it Deadpool 3 because it is a "two-hander character adventure" that focuses on both characters.[111] Despite this, Reynolds said the film was tonally still a Deadpool film, with violence, swearing, and "meta mayhem". He called it "the most Deadpool movie in the history of Deadpool".[112]
Pre-production
Pre-production work began by October 2022,[113] less than two months after Jackman decided to join the film. Jacobson said this was one of the fastest turnarounds she had seen for a big production.[76] Filming was expected to begin in January 2023 in Vancouver.[114] In mid-October, the film's release date was pushed back to November 8, 2024.[115] Reynolds said the next month that filming would begin in mid-2023,[116] and Levy confirmed in December that filming was set to begin that May. He said developing the film was one of the most fun creative experiences of his career, citing the film's self-awareness, violence, and foul language.[117] Levy said he did not want to alter the franchise's DNA from the prior films and called the new film "raw, audacious, [and] very much R-rated", comparing it to the buddy comedy films Midnight Run (1988), 48 Hrs., and Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987).[118]
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool (left) and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (right) in the film. Reynolds's costume was updated from the previous Deadpool films,[126] while Jackman wore a comics-accurate Wolverine costume for the first time.[127]
Graham Churchyard and Mayes C. Rubeo were the film's costume designers.[128] Jackman wears a yellow and blue costume similar to Wolverine's costumes from X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) and the comic books,[127][129] specifically Astonishing X-Men volume 3 (2004–2013) drawn by John Cassaday;[130] it also features elements of the character's 1970s design by John Romita Sr. and Dave Cockrum and the 1990s design by Jim Lee.[131] Jackman did not wear a comics-accurate costume in the X-Men film series, though it was referenced in X-Men (2000) and a deleted scene from The Wolverine (2013).[127] The film was therefore an opportunity to see Jackman in a comics-accurate costume for the first time,[13] and Levy felt this could be the last chance for Jackman to wear such a costume. They went through several iterations and fittings to get the suit right.[132] Jackman said putting the suit on "looked so right [and] felt so right" and he questioned why he had not worn such a costume for the previous X-Men films.[13] An early reveal of the costume was met with positive reactions online,[131][133][134][135] and led some commentators to determine that Jackman was portraying a different iteration of the character in the film from the one he portrayed in the X-Men films.[134][136] Reynolds also has an updated costume from the previous Deadpool films,[129] featuring a brighter shade of red and larger black circles on his mask. This is reminiscent of the character's comic book design from the 1990s.[126] Levy was pleased with the "overwhelmingly positive" response to the suit designs, which were revealed early due to production occurring on location.[132]
Filming
Principal photography began on May 22, 2023, in London and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England,[137][138][139] under the working titleTidal Wave.[140]George Richmond served as the cinematographer after working with Levy and Reynolds on Free Guy.[141] Reynolds lobbied Marvel Studios to film in Vancouver, where he is from and the previous Deadpool films were made, but conceded that "they have their [established] infrastructure, and you just have to sort of fall in line".[142] However, a United States Copyright Office filing for the film indicated that some filming did occur in Vancouver.[143] Levy worked with Marvel Studios and the producers of the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present), on which he was an executive producer, to allow him to direct for that series' final season since the schedules for the two projects were expected to overlap.[144][145]
Filming was not expected to be impacted by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike that began in early May, outside of Reynolds being unable to contribute to the script during filming as he had done for the previous films. Marvel Studios was reportedly planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during the film's already scheduled reshoots.[146] The film was shot on location where possible, to create a more grounded feeling than can be achieved with soundstages.[118][132][147] In June, the film's release date was moved forward to May 3, 2024.[148] Filming for a car crash scene took place on location in London in early July 2023.[149] Shortly after, Jennifer Garner was revealed to be appearing in the film as Elektra after portraying a version of that character in the Fox-produced film Daredevil (2003) and its spin-off Elektra (2005);[29] Garner denied her involvement.[150] Filming with Reynolds and Jackman took place in Norfolk.[151]
Production was suspended on July 14, 2023, because of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[152] 35 days of filming were completed prior to the shutdown, with another 35 days left.[118][153] Filming was set to resume following the conclusion of the dual Hollywood strikes.[118] Disney paid to keep the film's sets intact during the strike.[154] Levy and Reynolds were able to edit what had been shot and begin work on the visual effects,[155][154] though they had not prioritized filming major visual effects sequences before the strike.[153] Prior to the strike, Baccarin completed filming all of her scenes,[156] and Levy shot a sequence that he likened to the lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi (1983). He asked the film's stunt team to look to that scene's blocking, tempo, and framing for their scene.[157] Levy acknowledged some of the casting rumors surrounding the film—including Garner appearing as Elektra, Liev Schreiber returning as Sabretooth from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and Taylor Swift making a cameo appearance as Dazzler—and said some of them were true, but would not confirm which ones.[132][155] Swift was later stated to not be appearing in the film.[158][159] Levy said the characters that were included, such as Aaron Stanford reprising his role as Pyro from X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), were added as the story developed rather than being based on a wishlist of characters and cameos that the producers wanted to include.[17] They did not want cameos or "global MCU stakes" to be the focus of the film, and were able to include "deep-cut" references to Marvel's history because Deadpool can serve as a Marvel fan through his fourth wall-breaking.[7] Soni said several cameos were intended to be a surprise for the audience.[160]
The film, along with others that were mid-way through production at the start of the strikes, was said to be a top priority for the studios to resume production following the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike.[161] In October 2023, Levy questioned if the film would be able to retain its May 2024 release date given the SAG-AFTRA strike was still ongoing at that time,[155] shortly before it was reported that the film was likely to be delayed to a date later in 2024 even if filming was able to resume by the start of that year.[162] After the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike on November 9, filming was expected to resume in London within the following two weeks before Thanksgiving.[154][163] Reynolds announced that the character Dogpool would appear in the film,[41] played by dog actorPeggy,[42] and the film's release date was pushed back to July 26, 2024.[164] Filming resumed by November 23.[165] Levy said his time editing and reviewing footage during the strikes allowed him to gain a better understanding of the film, and he was able to return to work without feeling rushed and with a focus on what was needed to complete it.[166]
In early December 2023, set photos revealed that the characters Sabretooth and Toad were appearing in the film. They resembled their appearances in the film X-Men in which they were respectively portrayed by Tyler Mane and Ray Park;[167][168][169] Mane was confirmed to be reprising his role as Sabretooth in a trailer released in June 2024,[35] while Toad was confirmed in the film's final trailer the next month.[28] Set photos also revealed a giant 20th Century Fox logo set piece.[147] Reynolds commented shortly after about the set photo leaks, saying they created a difficult situation for the production and expressing his hope that websites would stop publishing unfinished, out-of-context leaked images to "preserve as much of that magic as possible for the finished film and the big screen".[147] He noted that the franchise is associated with leaks since the first Deadpool film was able to be made following a leak of its original test footage. Reynolds proceeded to post faux leaked images featuring Mickey Mouse, Predator, and Steve Urkel, along with various hashtags to try to alter the social media algorithm around the actual leaked photos since platforms prioritize posts from high-profile accounts.[170]
Rob McElhenney, Reynolds' co-chairman of Wrexham A.F.C., visited the set to film a cameo appearance while also discussing matters for their football team given Reynolds' filming schedule. This visit was captured by the Welcome to Wrexham (2022–present) documentary series, which showed McElhenney wearing a TVA agent uniform.[171][172] At the end of December, Bona Film Group signed a deal with TSG Entertainment to invest in a slate of films, including the Deadpool franchise;[173] TSG Entertainment and 20th Century Studios both receive "in association with" credit on the film.[174][175]: 3 In early January 2024, Variety reported that the film would include several characters from prior Fox-produced Marvel films and that it was expected to take a similar approach to Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), which features multiple characters from past Spider-Man films coming together.[176] Set photos at the end of the month showed Reynolds wearing a samurai-inspired Deadpool costume.[177] Filming, which also took place at Bovingdon Film Studios,[178]wrapped on January 24.[179] Soni said the film was "taking full advantage of the MCU" and would feature jokes about Feige.[180]
The teaser trailer released in February 2024 revealed that Macfadyen was portraying TVA agent Mr. Paradox,[5][181] Randal Reeder and Lewis Tan were reprising their respective roles as Buck and Shatterstar from the previous Deadpool films,[27][182] and Stanford was returning as Pyro.[34][17] The copyright filing for the film confirmed that Garner was appearing as Elektra and revealed Corrin's role to be Cassandra Nova.[143][17] In March, Vinnie Jones said he was asked to reprise his role as Juggernaut from The Last Stand in the film, but a deal could not be agreed upon, and Jones said there was not enough budget to create the Juggernaut suit for him to wear on set.[183] Juggernaut was subsequently confirmed to appear in the film, being portrayed by Aaron W. Reed.[5] The first official trailer was released the following month and revealed that the creature Alioth from Loki was appearing in the film, along with the characters Lady Deathstrike and Azazel. The latter two resembled Kelly Hu and Jason Flemyng, who portrayed those characters in X2 and X-Men: First Class (2011), respectively.[12]
At the end of April 2024, Levy said he was busy finishing work on the film.[166] Early screenings of the film had taken place, which he described as "extremely, extremely promising", with the main changes coming from them being pacing adjustments.[184] He added that despite the film's multiverse connections and use of elements from other projects, such as the TVA from Loki, he did not expect audiences to do homework before watching the film and intended for it to be an entertaining experience on its own.[166] Post-production was completed on June 19, 2024.[185] The next month, Jon Favreau and Wunmi Mosaku were revealed to be reprising their MCU roles as Happy Hogan and Hunter B-15 in the film.[5][33] Throughout the promotional tour for the Star Wars series The Acolyte in June 2024, Dafne Keen, who portrayed Laura / X-23 in Logan, stated she would not appear in the film, but was ultimately confirmed to have an appearance a month later with the film's final trailer.[28] She had wanted to attend the film's premiere, and since her appearance "was great in the final trailer" according to Kevin Feige, her role was revealed and she could go without her presence being a spoiler.[186] Keen called it a "great time" keeping her appearance a secret, and was inspired by how Andrew Garfield had similarly lied about his appearance in No Way Home ahead of that film's release.[28]
Rob Simonsen was hired to compose the film's score by mid-July 2023. He previously worked with Levy on The Adam Project.[190] The soundtrack album, also known as Deadpool & Wolverine: Van Jamz, was released digitally by Hollywood Records on July 24, 2024, with a physical release on July 26. It includes 17 songs featured in, or inspired by, the film along with Simonsen's theme for the film.[191][192] Simonsen's score was released digitally on July 24 with a regular edition and a deluxe that also includes the soundtrack album.[191]
Marketing
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.[110] 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.[193]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.[194] 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).[195][196][197] Shortly after the trailer's premiere, Jackman posted a tongue-in-cheek jab at Reynolds with a modified logo displaying "Wolverine & Asshole".[198] 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.[102] The reported views included the 123 million Super Bowl viewers who saw a 30-second version of the trailer.[199] Reynolds and Jackman were presented with Guinness World Records certificates commemorating the achievement during an interview on ITV Network's This Morning.[200]
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.[201] 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.[49][50] The PSA was later released publicly.[202] An official trailer debuted on April 22, set to "Like a Prayer" by Madonna.[203] 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.[204] At the end of the month, a special popcorn bucket for the film's theatrical release was revealed,[205] after Feige had said it would be "intentionally crude and lewd". This was inspired by the viral popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two (2024).[206] 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.[205]
A teaser released in early June revealed that the character Ladypool would appear in the film, prompting speculation about who played the role,[207] while Reynolds appeared as Deadpool in a "typically irreverent video" at CineEurope later that month to introduce 12 minutes of footage from the film.[208] The cast went on a global marketing tour for the film starting in early July. The stops included: Shanghai, where Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy attended a fan event to screen 35 minutes of the film to attendees;[209][210][211]Seoul, where the actors appeared at the 2024 Waterbomb Festival;[212]Berlin,[210] where the trio were joined by Corrin and attended the UEFA Euro 2024 quarterfinals match between Netherlands and Turkey;[213][214] London, where the four actors and Levy were joined by Delaney, dog actor Peggy, and Marvel Studios executives Louis D'Esposito and Wendy Jacobson.[215][216] Additionally, United Kingdom music and entertainment retailer HMV temporarily altered their logo for featuring the dog Nipper at one of their stores to be Dogpool, timed to the event;[216] and Rio de Janeiro, where they visited Maracanã Stadium.[217]
Deadpool and Wolverine appeared in an ad for The Bachelorette on July 8 during the season 21 premiere, to entice the Bachelor Nation audience (the 18–49 female demographic) to see the film. The ad was from Maximum Effort, Loon Productions, and Really Original, and was directed by Oren Brimer. Reynolds also posted on social media to discuss his thoughts on the premiere.[218] On July 19, Deadpool and Wolverine appeared in a music video for the single "Chk Chk Boom" by the South Korean boy band Stray Kids, whose song "Slash" is included on the film's soundtrack.[219] For the Formula One2024 Belgian Grand Prix, the Alpine F1 Team, of which Reynolds is an investor of, revealed a Deadpool livery on July 24, which they will race to promote the film.[220] On July 25, Reynolds, Jackman, Levy, Corrin, and Feige screened the film at San Diego Comic-Con. It included a video introduction from Uggams as Blind Al, and concluded with Reynolds bringing out the cameos from the film: Keen, Garner, Evans, Tatum, and Snipes. Following the panel, a drone show was held at Petco Park that included images of Deadpool and Wolverine.[221] The July 25, 2024 episode of Press Your Luck featured Deadpool and Wolverine taking over the Whammy.[222]
Disney spent an estimated $100 million to promote the film,[2] and worked with Maximum Effort and brand partners to market it,[223] including Reynolds's Aviation Gin,[224][225]Heineken,[226]DiGiorno,[227]Jack in the Box,[228]Heinz,[229]Tim Hortons,[230] SuperX,[231]Hot Topic,[232] Homage,[233]Xbox,[234]Adidas,[235] and Casio.[236]Funko and Hot Toys produced action figures of characters from the film,[237][238][239] 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.[240]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.[241]
Release
Deadpool & Wolverine premiered at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City on July 22, 2024.[242] It was released in France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Japan on July 24, 2024, in Spain, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Australia on July 25,[243] and in the United States and China on July 26,[164][244] in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD, and other premium large formats (PLMs).[105] The film was originally announced with a release date of September 6, 2024,[11] before it was pushed back to November 8 to accommodate for other MCU film delays.[115] Its release was then moved forward to May 3 of that year when Disney adjusted its release calendar due to the WGA strike,[148] before settling on the July 2024 date after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended.[164] The film is part of Phase Five of the MCU.[148] The Motion Picture Association gave the film an R rating, making the film the first in the MCU to be rated as such.[245]
Reception
Box office
As of July 28, 2024[update], Deadpool & Wolverine has grossed $211.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $233.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $444.7 million.[3][4]
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.[246] 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. They said these were conservative projections and 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.[247] Three weeks ahead of release, multiple tracking services projected the film would open between $160–165 million, which would still be a record opening for an R-rated film and the best opening for a 2024 release. Deadline Hollywood said Disney was expecting an opening in this range, and added that presale tickets was at $19 million. Quorum reaffirmed its projection of a $200+ million opening at that time.[209]
The week of its release, Deadline Hollywood projected a worldwide opening between $340–360 million. A noted increase from prior, lesser predictions which did not consider the substantial walk-up business observed from Latino and Hispanic moviegoers, it was a factor from which other movies heavily benefited during that summer. The larger prediction included an estimated contribution from that demographic, as well as consideration for the prospects of the film being viewed by a younger audience. At that point, ticket pre-sales for the United States and Canada stood at $35 million, a number taken that last Friday, July 19.[243] The film made $38.5 million in Thursday night previews, setting a record for an R-rated film.[248] On opening day, the film made $96 million domestically (including Thursday previews), becoming the biggest opening day for an R-rated film and the 6th biggest in history.[249] The film recovered its reported budget in just two days.[250] It was then projected on that Saturday to make $195–205 million at the domestic box office and as high as $420+ million worldwide on its opening weekend.[251][252] Another number predicted it to make $205 million domestically and $438.3 million worldwide, which would make it achieve the 8th-highest opening weekend and the highest opening weekend for any R-rated film domestically and worldwide, as well having the highest domestic opening weekend for a film in July of all time, beating 2019's The Lion King.[253][254] It ultimately exceeded those predictions and grossed $211.4 million domestically and 444.3 million worldwide, achieving the 6th-biggest box office opening of all time.[255] It currently has the biggest debut of 2024, surpassing Inside Out 2 ($154.2 million).[256]
Critical response
Some publications reported that the film was divisive,[i] while others commented that it opened to largely positive reviews.[j] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 319 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ryan Reynolds makes himself at home in the MCU with acerbic wit while Hugh Jackman provides an Adamantium backbone to proceedings in Deadpool & Wolverine, an irreverent romp with a surprising soft spot for a bygone era of superhero movies."[266]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 58 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[267] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale (the same as the first two films),[268] while those surveyed by PostTrak gave the film a 96% overall positive score (an average of 5 out of 5 stars), with 85% saying they would definitely recommend it.[269]
IGN's Tom Jorgensen praised Jackman's return to the character. He felt slightly disappointed that Deadpool did not top the lewdness of his previous jokes from the first two films and felt the exposition was slow, but he appreciated its function as a buddy comedy.[270] Writing for Empire, Olly Richards gave the film four stars out of five. He praised the film for "do[ing] all it can to bring everyone along for the ride, including those who don't know their Professor X from their X-23".[271] Brian Lowry wrote for CNN that it showcased Marvel Studios' willingness to partake in self-deprecation, and a respect for the superhero films of the 2000s.[272] In a very positive review, Deadline Hollywood's Pete Hammond felt that the collaboration between the film's titular characters, which resembled Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Midnight Run (1988), "works beyond your wildest screen-team dreams". He praised Levy's leverage of the stars, and noted that Deadpool's raunchy jokes "come [...] so rapid-fire this time, even more so than in the first two Deadpool [films]."[273]Forbes's Mark Hughes praised the film as "pure escapist entertainment, a rollicking fun time and laugh riot from start to finish, with a thin plot and little sense to it all but nobody cares because we love watching these characters together."[274]
Reviewing for Collider, Ross Bonaime wrote that with the integration of Deadpool into the larger Marvel property, the character finally started to live up to his full potential. He described the film as "far more violent, foul-mouthed, and irreverent towards its surroundings than ever before", and praised Disney's allowance for the character to be expressed unhindered.[275] The Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper, who gave the film three out of four stars, highlighted the star performances, violence, humor, and Easter eggs, which he described as more abundant than the ones "on the White House lawn on a Monday in April", though he criticized the "usual" plot and "paper-thin" story.[276]Associated Press writer Krysta Fauria said that while the genre's critics would not be won over, the film's increased focus on its self-aware genre criticism helped it find a "sweet spot" in being an improvement over its predecessors. He felt that Levy was benefited in the increased budget and that the homoerotic yet hate-filled relationship between the titular characters was enticing.[277]
The San Francisco Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle opined that the movie could be viewed as having nothing to say, bemoaning that Deadpool could have subverted the plot were there one that he felt the audience could relate to. However, he commended the contrast between Jackman's serious performance with Reynolds's chatter, finding it amusing.[278]The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney thought that the meta jokes were "dialed up to radioactive levels" and that the critical interpretation remained largely up to what the audience wanted to get out of the film.[279] In one-star reviews for the film, Donald Clarke for The Irish Times wrote that the film is "the most relentlessly juvenile entry in a sequence that has rarely been confused with Ingmar Bergman's Faith trilogy";[280] Robbie Collin, chief film critic for The Daily Telegraph wrote that "for all the script's winking guffaws about the series' mishap-strewn detour into the multiverse, it can't relinquish its nothing-that-happens-here-actually-matters safety net."[281]
^Ugwu, Reggie (July 25, 2024). "'Deadpool & Wolverine' Reviews Are In: Amusing or Exhausting?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024. Most critics have found something to like in "Deadpool & Wolverine," which has an 81 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. They say it has a superpowered jokes-per-minute ratio and two winning performances from its lead actors. But many reviewers had a mixed-to-negative assessment of the movie overall, calling it difficult to follow, lacking in real tension or stakes and overly reliant on self-referential story lines.
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