It’s official: Deadpool 3 will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and yes, it will still be R-rated.
Ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, fans have speculated about the fate of the Deadpool film franchise, which had two successful films in 2016 and 2018. The merc-with-a-mouth films were R-rated, which wouldn’t normally fit with the MCU’s PG-13 image. But when speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub during a “WandaVision” press event, President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige confirmed that there would be a third R-rated film.
“It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now,” Feige said, “and Ryan’s overseeing a script right now… It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor. We’ve got a number of things we’ve already announced that we now have to make, but it’s exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.”
Sisters writing duo Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux are working on the Deadpool 3 script. Filming won’t begin this year, so we likely won’t see the film hit theaters until 2023 at the earliest. With the world-bending “WandaVision” beginning January 13, rumors about Spider-Man 3 possibly being a crossover of Spider-Man franchises, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiering in 2022, it’s possible Deadpool’s inclusion in the series will involve some multiverse magic. This wouldn’t be out-of-the-ordinary for the MCU or for Deadpool’s signature meta narration.
Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther II, and Captain Marvel 2 would also all be released before Deadpool 3, so it’s hard to say exactly what will be happening in the MCU at that time.
