Of all the new properties coming to Marvel Studios after Disney’s merger with Fox, almost none is building more anxiety than Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3. The Merc With a Mouth is set to complete his solo trilogy within the MCU after two wildly-successful R-Rated romps with Fox in 2016 and 2018. While the threequel builds its behind-the-scenes team, its director’s seat remains wide open.
Although fans are hoping to see Wade Wilson join the MCU before his third solo movie, Deadpool 3 is slowly working its way toward the start of production. Reynolds and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige have spoken often about how important Deadpool will be in the MCU's future, and Reynolds even shared his thoughts recently about who should direct his next outing.
Reynolds' Free Guy saw him team up with director Shawn Levy, with whom Reynolds has collaborated on multiple occasions to great success over the past few years. Now, it appears that this partnership will transfer into the MCU as Reynolds joins the ever-expanding Marvel Studios story.
Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool 3 Gets Director
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Free Guy director Shawn Levy is in negotiations to direct Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool 3 within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This comes just a day after Reynolds expressed his support for Levy directing the movie.
Neither Levy, Reynolds, or Marvel Studios has commented on the hire yet.
Additionally, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are penning the latest draft of Deadpool 3's script. The two have frequently worked with Reynolds in the past, including on both previous Deadpool movies.
Bob's Burgers writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin wrote the first version of the script.
Levy Becomes Reynolds' Director in the MCU
Reynolds and Levy's partnership shone for the public in the lead-up to Free Guy, where Reynolds even got to play Deadpool in an unexpected crossover with Taika Waititi's Korg. Levy even included a couple of fun nods to MCU characters like Captain America and the Hulk in the movie, complete with a two-second Chris Evans cameo.
Last year, Levy admitted that he's a huge MCU fan, expressing his profound love for Deadpool as well as movies like Eternals and Guardians of the Galaxy. Having worked with Waititi on Free Guy, he included Waititi's work on Thor: Ragnarok in his quotes, which could have been teasing that his time with Marvel was imminent.
In the lead-up to Free Guy's release, Reynolds held nothing back in sharing how much he loved working with Levy and how "utterly easy it is to be around each other." The Deadpool star isn't afraid to say that he wants to work with Levy as many times as possible in the future, and it appears that this will be the case within the MCU as well.
Now fans wait to find out more information about when Deadpool 3 will go into production and when it will eventually debut in theaters. Although Reynolds is taking a short break from making movies, Levy's inclusion should put his MCU debut in a solid place, especially with the actor having so much control over how his movie turns out.
Deadpool 3 is currently in the early stages of pre-production for Marvel Studios.
