Ryan Reynolds says he is excited to be bringing the character of Wolverine in for Deadpool 3 in a way that is “Hugh Jackman approved”.
The Hollywood star said the upcoming superhero blockbuster would “completely protect the legacy of Logan” – Jackman’s last outing as the Marvel character.
The pair revealed their team-up for the latest instalment of the franchise in a surprise announcement in September.
Jackman has played Wolverine in eight X-Men films from 2000 until 2016, and was last seen in the standalone Logan movie in 2017.
.@VancityReynolds is reuniting with @RealHughJackman for @deadpoolmovie 3! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/Ov4wkLLCEH
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) November 9, 2022
The pair appeared together in 2009’s poorly received X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in which Reynolds had his debut turn as Wade Wilson.
Jackman made a brief appearance in the second Deadpool film, but had previously ruled out the chance of a standalone crossover film between his character and Reynolds’ foul-mouthed, unlikely superhero.
Speaking on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Reynolds said he was “lucky” to work in the industry with “immensely talented people”.
“We figured out a way to do it that’s Hugh Jackman approved and Kevin Feige approved,” he said.
“We’re completely protecting the legacy of Logan the way it was left off, we wouldn’t mess with that, and I’m really excited.”
He continued: “I’m lucky that I get to work in this industry and particularly incredibly fortunate I get to work in it this long.
Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/OdV7JmAkEu
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 27, 2022
“But I really want to work with people that are either immensely talented, or people that I love and I’m genuinely, like, best friends with.
“Unfortunately Hugh does not qualify as either of those but I am excited because I’m a Logan fan.”
In March, Reynolds confirmed the second sequel would be directed by Shawn Levy, having worked together on 2021 action comedy Free Guy and this year’s sci-fi The Adam Project.
It is another change of director for the Marvel franchise, with the original 2016 Deadpool directed by Tim Miller and the sequel by David Leitch.
It is also the first Deadpool film since Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which distributed the first two instalments.
In the video, Reynolds confirmed the Deadpool 3 film launch date as September 6 2024.