Slowly but surely, the pieces are starting to come together for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Deadpool 3. Kevin Feige has confirmed that the Merc with a Mouth’s third solo outing will retain the R-rated nature of its predecessors and act as official canon, while the Molyneux sisters are hard at work on the script having won over both the studio boss and leading man Ryan Reynolds with their pitch.
Shooting isn’t going to happen this year, but if cameras can get rolling by next summer, then we could be looking at a summer 2023 bow for Wade Wilson’s hotly-anticipated return. Obviously, though, there’s the not insignificant matter of recruiting a supporting cast and an entire crew between now and then, with the director’s chair being notably vacant.
Tim Miller and David Leitch helmed the first and second installments, respectively, but it’s looking as if Deadpool 3 could be after some new blood. The studio has always tended to pick directors from slightly out of left field, meaning that it’s impossible to try and guess who might end up calling the shots on the project, although Reynolds is expected to be heavily involved in that decision as well.
A new rumor going around this week claims that Robert Rodriguez is in the mix, and he’s definitely a Disney favorite having joined The Mandalorian family before overseeing spinoff The Book of Boba Fett. And if Deadpool 3 follows the template set by the original with a budget of under $60 million forcing the creative team to utilize guerrilla filmmaking tactics to get the job done, then 1990s vintage Rodriguez would be an inspired choice.
Obviously, the MCU is an entirely different ball game, but he’s still a better option than Shawn Levy, who was also named in the rumor. Of course, the information comes from Reddit, so it should be taken with a grain of salt, and in a perfect world, neither of those two would be handed the reins of Deadpool 3.