Disney’s purchase of Fox left the fate of Ryan Reynolds’ Merc With a Mouth uncertain, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has confirmed that Deadpool 3 is in the works, and will be rated R like its predecessors.
Fans were concerned that the tone of future Deadpool appearances might shift, given Disney’s more family-friendly approach. Throughout development of the first two films—including its long road to being green-lit in the first place—Reynolds and the rest of the creative team pushed hard to tell a R-rated story befitting the character’s visceral source material. The gamble paid off when the first film became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
Now Feige has put those fears to rest, however. “It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan’s overseeing a script right now,” he told Collider. “[Deadpool is] a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.”
Feige added that Deadpool 3 will not be filming this year—no surprise given the packed slate of MCU projects already in the works, and ongoing production concerns facing the entire film industry. Also, it’s unclear how the rest of the X-Men franchise will be incorporated into the MCU, and his involvement will likely depend upon how Marvel Studios brings those characters into the fold.
In the meantime, Feige reiterated that Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux (Bob’s Burgers) are writing the script, as Variety previously reported. The first two films were penned by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, but Reynolds’ continued oversight should help maintain consistency between the three films as the character hops studios.
Given the MCU’s known schedule, it’s likely that Deadpool 3 won’t hit theatres until at least 2023, but for now, Wade Wilson’s fans can rest assured that it won’t have kid gloves on when it arrives.