The Deadpool 3 Story Ideas Logan's Director Discussed With Ryan Reynolds

After years and years of wishing it would be so, a great many Marvel fans are finally going to get the proper team-up between Deadpool and Wolverine they've wanted for in "Deadpool 3." Indeed, both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman will be reprising their roles as Wade Wilson and Wolverine, respectively, uniting for the first time on screen since the disaster that was "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." It turns out that "Logan" director James Mangold actually had conversations with both actors about such a thing some years back, and he envisioned it as a road trip buddy movie, harkening back to some true classics.

Mangold isn't involved in "Deadpool 3," which is being directed by Shawn Levy ("Free Guy"). However, while promoting the release of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," the filmmaker explained to Comicbook.com that he talked to Reynolds and Jackman about it back when Fox was still in control of the "X-Men" franchise before Disney purchased most of Fox in 2019. Here's what he had to say about it:

"A really fun '48 Hours' style buddy picture with those two. To me, that was always ... We discussed this way back in the day, Ryan, Hugh, and I, and it was always this idea that you could do some kind of Walter Hill, gritty, or 'Midnight Run.' These two, somehow on a road trip together would be magical."

Interestingly, this lines up with what Reynolds said before "Deadpool 3" actually got the green light at Disney. "Before Disney bought Fox, "Deadpool 3" was gonna be a road trip between Deadpool and Logan. Rashomon style. For real," Reynolds said on Twitter back in 2021. It appears as though Mangold may have been in on those conversations.

While plot details for the long-awaited sequel have yet to be revealed, if they're using movies like "48 Hours" and "Midnight Run" as touchstones, that could only be a good omen. One thing we know for sure is that the movie will still be R-rated like the first two "Deadpool" movies, even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe has historically stuck to PG-13 ratings. Disney seemingly doesn't want to compromise what made them work in the first place. Good.

Speaking of compromise, 2017's "Logan" seemed like it was going to be the end of the line for Jackman's Wolverine, as he dies at the end of the movie. The actor even said for a very long time that he was retiring as the character given that the film seemed like a fitting end. But life finds a way, as it were, and Jackman was convinced to come back for one last ride. Mangold, for his part, does have some strong feelings about that. Speaking with Variety, the filmmaker explained that there's a part of him that wishes it wasn't the case, but he also understands why it's happening. As he said:

"I can't say that there's a part of me that doesn't wish that we'd let it be. But there was always going to be another Wolverine. There could be a baby Wolverine and a cartoon Wolverine. As much liquid as they can squeeze out of that rag, they're going to try to. I don't measure my success on a movie like Logan with whether we ended the conversation. I ended my conversation."

But there's no bad blood. Jackman previously revealed that he actually asked for Mangold's blessing before agreeing to come back for the sequel. That was certainly a classy move, given what they accomplished together in making "Logan."

"Deadpool 3" is currently set to hit theaters on May 3, 2024.