Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy were about to shelve Deadpool & Wolverine until one phone call

Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy nearly shelved ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ until something revived the project.

"Deadpool and Wolverine" is set to be one of the most anticipated movies of 2024, but it was almost shelved. Director Shawn Levy, along with stars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, discussed the challenging process of integrating Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) during an interview with Vanity Fair.

Ryan Reynolds, who portrays Deadpool, expressed his long-standing desire to reprise his role. However, he acknowledged the significant sacrifices involved, stating, "There’s a reason that it’s been six years since the last one... You forsake a lot of things that you maybe took for granted: sleep, seeing your family, the myth of the present father” .

Following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, Reynolds pitched numerous ideas to Marvel, finding it challenging to secure a place in the MCU. Even after Levy joined the project, they struggled to develop a narrative that was original and fitting for Deadpool's MCU debut. Levy noted, “We frankly struggled to find a story that felt original and non-derivative of the other two Deadpool movies... Ryan and I were right at the edge of saying to Kevin [Feige], ‘Maybe now is not the right moment because we’re not coming up with a story’”  .

The turning point came in August 2022, when Hugh Jackman, while on vacation, called Reynolds with a clear vision for their next project together. Jackman explained, “I thought: Deadpool-Wolverine. I want to do that movie. That’s what I want” . Reynolds shared that Jackman’s enthusiasm provided the direction they needed, saying, “On the Zoom with Kevin, we just cut right to the chase... I feel like we’d be idiots to look this gift horse in the mouth and ignore it”  .

Despite Feige’s initial reservations about Jackman returning as Wolverine after 2017’s "Logan," Jackman felt a buddy cop dynamic with Deadpool would offer new creative possibilities. “Everything felt new and fresh to me... I’d be sharing it with Ryan and Shawn, who are two of my best friends. There was not a day where I wasn’t in tears laughing”  .

"Deadpool and Wolverine" is scheduled for release on July 26, 2024. This film marks the third installment in the Deadpool series and is set six years after "Deadpool 2" .