The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has taken a serious hit since Avengers: Endgame. And rightfully so, as that concluding chapter to a never-ending saga literally has the word End in the title. But alas, Marvel remains committed to churning out film after film, show after show, each titular superhero more obscurely obsolete than the next, with critics, audiences, and even Southpark mocking the desperation of their futile efforts.
But somehow, a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon. A third installment in the Deadpool franchise, with the unlikeliest of sidekicks, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who returns after a very distinct death in 2017’s Logan. Could the MCU make a triumphant return? Would people suddenly get re-engaged with superheroes? It appears so. But then again, Deadpool and Wolverine aren’t exactly cut from the well mannered, soft spoken, rule-abiding, Gen-Z catering Marvel cloth of vigilantes. Dropping more F-bombs and cancel-worthy jokes in the first 5 minutes than Eminem dropped on his first album (probably), Deadpool & Wolverine is the antidote to an otherwise sanctimonious franchise, and after having seen the first 35 minutes in a sneak preview, I can assure you, it deserves every bit of hype, and then some.
Wolverine died in Logan, so what made you decide to return as this iconic character?
Hugh Jackman: I meant it when I first said I was done with Wolverine back in 2017, but then I saw the first Deadpool and thought oops, maybe I should have watched this first. I could just see these two characters together, and all I was thinking was 48 hrs, Planes Trains and Automobiles, all these buddy-movies, and how these two would just be perfect on screen. I even remember the exact date, August 14, 2022, I was sitting in my car, and I thought (snaps fingers) that’s it. I want to do it again. I want Ryan to play Deadpool, and I want these two characters together. And I knew Ryan and Shawn (director) were about to shoot the new Deadpool, so I literally pulled over on the side of the road, called Ryan and said, “I want to do this. Please please tell me you’ll do this with me.”
Ryan Reynolds: In the modern era, when someone calls you on the phone, my first thought when I saw him calling was “Hugh?! Are you dead?! Why are you calling me?!”
Hugh Jackman: And Ryan said “Your timing is perfect, because we’re literally about to pitch our final Deadpool movie to Marvel in about three hours.”
Ryan Reynolds: Shawn (director) and I got on a Zoom with Kevin (Feige, president of Marvel Studios), and slowly revealed that Hugh had just called, and hinted that we’d like to do it together.
Shawn Levy: The second Hugh got on board, we realised that this movie finally had it’s ‘why’. We found the soul of the film.
Ryan Reynolds: And its ‘how’! Logan is so sacred, all of us really revere that film, so we had to figure out how to make this film. And when you’re writing a film like this, the comedy actually comes later, and the first thing you have to do is create a strong emotional connection.
Hugh Jackman: Also, having played Wolverine for 24 years…
Ryan Reynolds: …It’s okay, Hugh, you can say quarter of a century.
Hugh Jackman: (sighs) Having played Wolverine for quarter of a century, there are so many aspects of the character that I can’t reveal yet, but that I’d always lightly pitched for the previous films, but I just never got it across. And when I pitched it to these guys they just got it, and it was so thrilling, so relieving, to finally get to explore that.
How was it working together again for the first time in over ten years?
Hugh Jackman: When you go to Ryan’s house, which I do a lot, because he’s rarely there, especially as a father…(entire room laughs)…is it okay to say that?
Ryan Reynolds: It’s funny ’cause it’s true.
Hugh Jackman: But in Ryan’s house, there’s always a TV playing Turner Classic Movies, some old Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin film, so then, when you watch Ryan perform, it all just makes sense. You’re thinking ahh, I get it now, where the physical, clownlike comedy comes from. So, you may be a terrible father, Ryan, but at least you’re funny on screen. And with enough therapy, your kids will forgive you.
Ryan Reynolds: They will pave over all that trauma with daddy’s accomplishments (entire room laughs). And, as we all know, the kids of celebrities are just fine.
Are there going to be any additional MCU team-ups after this?
Ryan Reynolds: I really don’t know. I love being able to make a movie that is really just a standalone movie. Make no mistake, Deadpool & Wolverine is not some commercial for yet another sequel.
Hugh Jackman: Also, Wolverine is over 200 years old, and being nearly 95 years old myself, I’ve declined many offers to bring back Wolverine over the years, so getting to come back in this way because I desperately wanted to felt incredibly fresh, and I think audiences will feel the same.
Deadpool & Wolverine releases in the UAE on July 25, 2024, worldwide on July 26.
