After Deadpool 2 dominated at the box office, fans have be clamoring to find out if there will be a Deadpool 3.
Star Ryan Reynolds seemingly shot down the notion of turning the franchise into a trilogy during the press tour earlier this year, as he told Starnews Korea that it seemed unlikely there’ll be a third installment. Instead, the actor hinted that the next outing for the Merc with the Mouth will likely be as the lead of an X-Force movie, the superhero group that was first introduced in Deadpool 2.
“For Deadpool 3, you know, it’s an odd thing to say but I don’t think there will be a Deadpool 3,” Reynolds said. “I think going forward it would be an X-Force movie, which would be his team, so to speak.”
Between Reynolds comments and the impending deal between Disney and Fox, the future seems murky for both Deadpool and the rest of the current X-Men franchises on the big screen. However, Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick recently hinted that they may not be done with the red spandex wearing mutant just yet.
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick on Deadpool 3
Ahead of their appearance at the Tribeca TV Festival for the world premiere of their new YouTube Premium series Wayne, Reese and Wernick told Metro that they haven’t stopped thinking about the Merc with the Mouth, so the door may not be entirely closed on a third entry.
“Deadpool is something that’s always percolating in our minds,” said Wernick. “We talk and text with Ryan almost daily. Deadpool is always front and center.”
As for whether that means an X-Force film or a Deadpool 3 movie is the works, or something completely different, that remains to be seen. In an interview with David Leitch earlier this year, the Deadpool 2 director wouldn’t say whether or not a Deadpool 3 would happen, but did seem pumped about the character’s future, especially in a team-up setting.
“I think there’s a lot of ways that we can go with the future of the franchise,” Leitch told Metro. “I think he can be a leader. I think that can be part of the lessons that he learns. It can be him becoming a more developed human being.”
As for Reese and Wernick, the duo has enough on their plate to worry about, including teaming up with Reynolds for a pair of flicks, Clue and 6 Underground, the later of which is being directed by Michael Bay and is currently shooting in Italy. The pair is also working on Zombieland Too, which is set to begin shooting early next year.
“We’ve got a full plate. Zombieland Too shoots in January. We were just on the phone with Woody [Harrelson] kind of fine-tuning,” said Wernick. “We’re super excited about that, so that’s taking some of our time. Clue, we’re deep into the keyboard right now and writing. That’s with Ryan Reynolds producing and starring, so that’s taking some of our time. Obviously Wayne being the primary focus and the launch coming up in early 2019.”
“Those are the three things that are tops on our list,” he added. “We’re busy, but happy.”
