Hugh Jackman "Would Have Been Heartbroken" if Marvel Studios Did Deadpool 3 Without Wolverine

As a die-hard Marvel fan, I cannot express my excitement and gratitude enough for the long-awaited reunion of Deadpool and Wolverine on the big screen in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” This movie is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of holding onto your dreams.

The collaboration between Deadpool and Wolverine, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is being celebrated as a Marvel triumph and is projected to become the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. This nearly didn’t come to fruition as Reynolds worked tirelessly for years to persuade Jackman to team up their characters again since their disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. However, Jackman retired the adamantium claws with Logan in 2017, making it seem that his tenure as the enraged mutant had ended (permanently). Yet, Jackman made a surprising call that turned everything around.

According to folklore, Reynolds and director Shawn Levy had been working on Deadpool 3 at Marvel Studios, which is now owned by Disney after their acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019 (the studio behind the X-Men franchise and the two Deadpool films). After numerous ideas were presented, ranging from a conversational low-budget road trip film to one with Mephisto as the antagonist, Reynolds and Levy were considering abandoning the project. However, Jackman reached out to Reynolds for a conversation, proposing a return to Deadpool 3.

Jackman shared with MTV News how he would have reacted sadly if Reynolds and Levy had chosen a different path: “I would have felt disappointed to the core. Every fiber in me yearned to be part of it. So I would have been devastated, shed tears, been enraged. I might have even ended our friendship and sought legal custody of his kids.”

After Jackman’s addition and Feige’s approval, the production of Deadpool 3 underwent a transformation. The project was effectively sent to the Void, a realm for dying branch timelines. This allowed Reynolds to ultimately create the Deadpool film he had envisioned from the start: Deadpool teaming up with Wolverine.

“Who wouldn’t make an effort to solve a problem, no matter the situation, according to Reynolds? Perhaps someone deeply averse to achievement and joy.”

At a recent fan gathering, Reynolds shared that the making of “Deadpool and Wolverine,” or as he clarified, not “Deadpool 3” based on Levy’s confirmation, was initiated by Jackman placing a call.

Six years ago, I sat down with Kevin Feige to share my vision of bringing Wolverine and Deadpool together on the big screen. My first words were, “I really want these two characters to appear in a movie together.” At that point, Kevin responded, “Sorry, it’s not going to happen.” I accepted his answer and moved on. Shawn and I continued brainstorming various pitches and ideas, presenting them all to Marvel, but nothing seemed to click.

I remember a day when we were at our wit’s end, with only one pitch left to present to Kevin Feige. We were contemplating taking a break and returning in a few years once we had more clarity. Suddenly, my phone rang – it was Hugh calling. Caught off guard, Shawn and I shifted gears mid-pitch and asked, “Kevin, have you ever experienced something unexpected like this? What do you think?” To our surprise, he instantly agreed, making the experience seem almost magical.

Marvel’s film “Deadpool with Wolverine,” where you’ll find familiar faces from the Deadpool cast including Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Stefan Kapicic as Colossus, Rob Delaney as Peter, Dafne Keen from “Logan” as Laura/X-23, and Matthew Macfadyen and Emma Corrin as Agent Paradox and Cassandra Nova respectively, is now showing in cinemas.

2024-07-25 04:11

Hugh Jackman “Would Have Been Heartbroken” if Marvel Studios Did Deadpool 3 Without Wolverine

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