Deadpool 3: Fans Will Have To Wait Even Longer For Wolverine's MCU Debut
Now that the Screen Actors Guild is striking alongside the Writers Guild of America and against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, productions are going to start shutting down en masse — and that includes "Deadpool 3."
As Variety notes, this is the first major studio production to shutter due to strikes — though television shows and films have hit pause without their writers, some have continued despite the WGA strike. Now, performers will be joining writers on the picket lines, productions will inevitably stop left and right until SAG-AFTRA and the WGA arrive at some sort of agreement with the AMPTP.
This also means that fans are going to have to wait even longer for Hugh Jackman to return to the silver screen as Wolverine, a character he apparently left behind after 2017's "Logan" (in which that version of Wolverine died), and excitement was only growing after set photos were released showing Jackman in costume as a different version of the character alongside Ryan Reynolds' masked vigilante Deadpool. Jennifer Garner is also set to reprise her role as Elektra in the threequel, making "Deadpool 3" one of the most anticipated comic book movies in recent memory. Now, it looks like the stars will be picketing until SAG-AFTRA's demands are met.
Set photos of Deadpool 3 featuring Wolverine had fans buzzing
A lot of productions will shut down for the duration of the strike in the coming weeks, so why is "Deadpool 3" shutting down such big news? Besides the fact that the first two "Deadpool" movies were universally well-received thanks to Reynolds' charming central performance — as well as the fact that they marked his return to superhero movies after his infamously disastrous turn as the Green Lantern — this movie, as we mentioned, features two Marvel characters returning to the fold.
Wolverine's return made enormous waves when news broke, as it means that the long-awaited return of the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally underway. After several complicated deals involving 20th Century Fox and Marvel, the MCU can finally add the X-Men back into the mix, and Wolverine's appearance is probably one of the most highly anticipated MCU moments on the horizon. Set photos also show Wolverine and Deadpool battling, which has given way to even more speculation; could this possibly mean that Deadpool and Wolverine will face off and leave no survivors, giving both Jackman and Reynolds a send-off worthy of their heroes?
Garner's reported return was announced much more recently than Jackman's, but after her appearances in maligned movies like 2003's "Daredevil" and 2005's "Elektra," it'll be nice to see the actress revive the character in a more irreverent production. This is all very exciting, but again — fans are going to have to wait for a deal to be struck before production can resume.
SAG-AFTRA and the WGA just embarked on a historic double strike
On July 14, 2023, at midnight EST, SAG-AFTRA officially joined its brothers and sisters in arms at the WGA on the picket line after guild president Fran Drescher delivered a blunt, blistering speech about corporate greed and the insufficient deal offered to the guild by the AMPTP. One major sticking point, particularly for actors, is the advent of artificial intelligence technology; as chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said at the press conference, the AMPTP's proposal included a provision that background actors could be "scanned" and their likenesses recorded, which could then be used as extras in future projects without the person's presence required. To add insult to injury, this would mean the actor would only be paid for a single day of work.
"The eyes of the world — and particularly the eyes of labor — are upon us," Drescher said during her remarks. "I can't believe how far apart we are on so many things... [They] say they're losing money left and right while they give hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs... At some point, we have to say no, we're not going to take it anymore."
This is the first time two guilds have been on a strike simultaneously in over 60 years — and it remains to be seen whether or not a resolution will come any time soon.