After a long wait, fan-favorite character Deadpool will finally be returning to the big screens by 2024 in the upcoming sequel Deadpool 3, and along with him will return another beloved X-Men character: The Wolverine. While that has left fans ecstatic, what’s surprising is that the initial pitch for the Wade Wilson sequel was actually given by Logan director, James Mangold.
What’s even more surprising is the fact that at the same time, Mangold was also concerned about tarnishing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine legacy, considering how his last movie (Logan) actually felt like it could be the end of the mutant. But it seems fate has its own way, judging from how Jackman will finally be reprising his character
James Mangold’s Pitch For Deadpool 3 Given Back In 2019 Included Hugh Jackman
Although James Mangold isn’t directly involved in the script and shoot of Deadpool 3, he did give an idea for the pitch of the sequel. In an interview with ComicBook.com, he explained how he initially talked to both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman about making a movie with the two of them together way back in 2019, when Fox still had control over the X-Men franchise. He said:
“A really fun ’48 Hours’ style buddy picture with those two. To me, that was always … We discussed this way back in the day, Ryan, Hugh, and I, and it was always this idea that you could do some kind of Walter Hill, gritty, or ‘Midnight Run.’ These two, somehow on a road trip together would be magical.”
While Mangold only gave an idea for the base, Ryan Reynolds made sure to turn this idea into a full-blown sequel for his fan-favorite character. During an interview with Collider, he shared how it was Hugh Jackman himself who shared his interest in reprising his character of Wolverine.
“I think you’re giving me too much credit,” Reynolds explained. “I don’t believe that I’m responsible for Hugh [Jackman] coming back. I always wanted Hugh to come back. My first meeting with Kevin Feige when Disney bought Fox years ago was about doing a movie with the two of us, a Deadpool Wolverine movie. And that was not possible at the time. And then Hugh just happened to call at that perfect moment and express that he’d be interested in coming back and doing this one more time. And then it was my job to take that to Kevin Feige one more time and sell it.”
Thus, he sold it, and now Deadpool 3 is highly awaited by fans – even though James Mangold still holds conflicting opinions on the matter.
James Mangold’s Mixed Opinions Over Another Wolverine Movie After Logan
Although James Mangold did pitch in an incredible idea for a Deadpool-Wolverine movie together, he was still concerned about tarnishing Hugh Jackman‘s legacy as the mutant, considering how Logan ended on an emotional note with Wolverine dying in the end, which made it seem like he might never return.
Talking with Variety, Mangold expressed his true thoughts on the entire matter.
“I can’t say that there’s a part of me that doesn’t wish that we’d let it be,” he says. “But there was always going to be another Wolverine. There could be a baby Wolverine and a cartoon Wolverine. As much liquid as they can squeeze out of that rag, they’re going to try to. I don’t measure my success on a movie like ‘Logan’ with whether we ended the conversation. I ended my conversation.”
Regardless, Deadpool 3 is in the making and Wolverine will truly be returning with it, with the film’s release date scheduled to be on the 3rd of May, 2024.
Source: ComicBook.com | Collider | Variety
