Director Shawn Levy is all set to collaborate with Ryan Reynolds for the third time on the MCU film Deadpool 3. While production on the superhero film was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, it all restarted soon after the strikes were lifted. It will be Levy’s first Marvel film.
Levy is also tapped to direct a Star Wars film, which he mentioned was still in development and would begin after he wraps Deadpool 3. While there has been no revelation regarding the plot of the film, Levy mentioned that two of his previous films with Ryan Reynolds were a major inspiration and that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy specifically cited them as the reason he got the job.
Shawn Levy’s Penchant For Franchises
While Shawn Levy is in the big leagues now with a Marvel and Star Wars film in the pipeline, he was always a director who made big, family-friendly films which made him the perfect candidate to handle franchises. While he initially fell into the creative arts as an actor, he decided to become a director and started pursuing opportunities.
Levy had a stint as a TV director in the ‘90s and had directed many shows for Nickelodeon such as The Secret World of Alex Mack and Animorphs. He transitioned to film and made his debut with Just in Time. He later gained notoriety for his family-friendly films such as Cheaper by the Dozen and Just Married. He also directed the first The Pink Panther film with Steve Martin.
Also read: Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 Will Reportedly Mega-Troll Avengers: Endgame’s Most Iconic Scene
Arguably his most successful film is the Ben Stiller-starring Night at the Museum franchise. The film featured Stiller as a night security guard at the American Museum of Natural History where the exhibits come to life after sundown. The films are a cult classic and were commercially successful, prompting two sequels.
Levy also directed the romantic comedy Date Night, the sci-fi action film Real Steel, and the comedy The Internship. He produced and directed a few episodes of the popular Netflix original mystery series Stranger Things. He has been associated with the franchise since its inception and is all set to go on floors with the fifth and final season.
Shawn Levy’s Films With Ryan Reynolds Got Him The Star Wars Films
In 2021, Shawn Levy collaborated with Ryan Reynolds for the adventure comedy Free Guy. The film featured Reynolds as an NPC in a video game who gains sentience, which leads to many situations. It was released by Disney in cinemas and was a commercial success, earning $331 million at the box office. It was released during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next year, Levy collaborated with Reynolds again on the Netflix sci-fi film The Adam Project. The film was also successful and received acclaim from critics and audiences alike. In an interview with Wired, Levy revealed that his films with Ryan Reynolds caught Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s attention, who offered him to direct a Star Wars film,
“I’m doing Deadpool. And I got the call from Kathleen Kennedy, who basically said, ‘I see what you’re doing, particularly Free Guy and The Adam Project, both of which have a certain sense of audience delight and playfulness that many of the best Star Wars movies have had.’”
Levy mentioned that Kennedy was looking at his previous films as a template for the family-friendly nature of films the production was looking at for its Star Wars films. There have been no theatrical releases from the franchise since Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Apart from Shawn Levy, another Marvel alumni Taika Waititi is also set to direct a Star Wars film.
