When Deadpool burst onto the scene in 2016 after spending a dozen years stuck in development hell, it was a breath of fresh air for a genre that can often feel formulaic at times, if not outright stagnant. A foul-mouthed, self-aware and fourth wall-breaking superhero who knew fine well they were the star of their own film was a novel approach, and it yielded strong reviews and massive box office returns.
As great as Deadpool was, it can’t be denied that the action sequences were somewhat lacking, with director Tim Miller failing to bring much style or flair to the set pieces. Of course, that was rectified in the sequel when John Wick and Atomic Blonde‘s David Leitch took the reins, but we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us Riri Williams would make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever long before it was confirmed – that Ryan Reynolds wants to up the ante even further with the third installment.
Not every comic book adaptation lives or dies by its hand-to-hand combat and fight choreography, but there’s no point in having a title hero who’s known for his katana-wielding skills and not giving him ample opportunity to showcase it. The franchise is largely powered by Reynolds’ performance, but the heightened violence is just as much a part of Deadpool as the one-liners.
Hopefully, more action doesn’t simply mean bigger, because far too many MCU movies have fallen into the trap of throwing as much CGI as possible at the screen by the time the climactic third act showdown rolls around, and it’s often ended up as the weakest part of the project in question.