In today’s surprising-but-not news, it appears that Disney has decided to actually move forward with a sequel in a franchise that has been hugely popular and is beloved by fans. All kidding aside, news that Disney/Marvel Studios is beginning development on “Deadpool 3” is actually pretty interesting, as it brings up a couple of major questions.
But before we get to those questions, this news is making the rounds thanks to Ryan Reynolds, who appeared on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (via Variety) to drop some information about the status of the threequel.
“We’re working on [‘Deadpool 3’] right now with the whole team,” Reynolds said. “We’re over at Marvel, which is the big leagues all of a sudden. It’s kind of crazy.”
Now, it’s important to understand that “working on” a film is very different than a studio giving the green light to go ahead and begin serious pre-production. So, Reynolds’ statement is little more than just a confirmation that Marvel Studios is working with the actor and the team (presumably including his writer pals Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) on the idea behind a new film. With Marvel Studios, in particular, the studio doesn’t make a habit of announcing films until they’re pretty far along the pre-production process.
READ MORE: ‘Deadpool’ Writer Promises An R-Rated Sequel As Ryan Reynolds Visits Marvel Studios
Of course, if Reynolds is hinting that “Deadpool 3” could be coming sooner than we think, that opens up a variety of questions, particularly the whole “What the hell will it look like?” thing.
You see, Fox previously released the first two “Deadpool” films in the middle of an ‘X-Men’ film franchise that was on the way down and allowing Reynolds and his team to basically do whatever the hell they wanted, pushing the limits of an R-rating along the way. That is the opposite of what Disney/Marvel Studios does.
So, will “Deadpool 3” carry an R-rating? Will it be positioned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Will the film be the introduction of the new, rebooted ‘X-Men’ universe into the larger MCU? We have no idea at this point, but these are questions that are surely going to need answering eventually.
For now, at least, fans can take solace in knowing that Reynolds is working on “Deadpool 3.” What that means is a question for another day.