Deadpool 2 director weighs in on Ryan Reynolds’ superhero being excluded from Marvel’s Phase 4 slate
Deadpool 2 director David Leitch has commented on Ryan Reynolds’ superhero being excluded from Marvel’s Phase 4 slate of films.
When Marvel announced its Phase 4 slate at the recent San Diego Comic-Con, the glaring exclusion of X-Men and Fantastic Four caught the attention of the internet. It has long been rumoured that with Disney’s takeover of 20th Century Fox and its assets, the famous Marvel characters would be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speaking to Uproxx, director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, has said that he isn’t aware of Disney’s future plans, but not for want of trying. He said, “I would never say never. And I think, obviously, he’s such a beloved character and it’s such a compelling world people want to go back. And I think they will find a way to do it. But I’m just being patient and let everybody take a breath and see how it works for them in the new Marvel, Disney world. And, hopefully, I’ll get the call. And that would be cool.”
Deadpool 2 strongly hinted at a future X-Force movie, and star Ryan Reynolds had even said that the next film in the series would be more of a team movie. But with X-Men: Dark Phoenix serving as a conclusion to Fox’s X-Men series, the future of the Deadpool franchise has been put in doubt, especially now that it’s under the family-friendly umbrella of Disney. Marvel president Kevin Feige said at Comic-Con that he ‘didn’t have time’ to discuss the Fantastic Four and X-Men, but strongly implied that the characters might be introduced in Phase 5.
Leitch, whose new film Hobbs & Shaw hits theatres August 2, is convinced that integrating Deadpool into the MCU wouldn’t be that complicated. “You can put him in with any one of those characters, or an ensemble of those characters, and it just sort of magnifies what you’re doing. It adds another layer. So that’s probably one aspect that they are entertaining, and hopefully they are entertaining more ideas as well,” he said.
Previously, Disney chief Bob Iger had said during an investors call that he intends for Deadpool to retain its R-rated tone, even in the future.
The character’s creator, Rob Leifeld, however, was more bullish. He said at the Comic-Con, “Of course they’re making Deadpool 3. 800 million and 800 million make 1.6 billion, that’s more than Doctor Strange did… I know there’s an accountant at Disney that goes, ‘Hey the Deadpool franchise is more popular than these 10 other franchises”. One of the many sequels that were announced at Marvel’s panel was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange film.
Reynolds, meanwhile, has made several social media posts about the possibility of Deadpool continuing under Disney.
