Ryan Reynolds Had One Condition For His Marvel Return

Back in 2022, Shawn Levy was determined to get Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman together in a movie, telling /Film, “I’m not going to say where and how, but I absolutely will confirm my intention and determination to be the lucky son of a b***h who puts these two magnificent gods in the same movie together. That will happen and it will be me.” Then, he did it. Or rather, Reynolds did it.

The man who won’t let me watch a YouTube video without telling me about Mint Mobile (if I switch to his godforsaken network does that make it stop?) is also quite a big movie star, and worked with Levy on 2021’s “Free Guy” and 2022’s “The Adam Project.” When it came time for the third “Deadpool” film, Reynolds and Levy teamed up once again to bring the Merc with a Mouth into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Luckily for Levy, his star also brought Jackman along with him.

The Wolverine actor had seemingly retired from what is arguably his most recognizable role following 2017’s “Logan.” But it seems Jackman actually approached Reynolds about returning as Wolverine for a Deadpool team-up movie. So, when “Deadpool & Wolverine” got the green light from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, Levy had seemingly accomplished his goal of uniting the “magnificent gods.” But it turns out that in order for a third “Deadpool” movie to happen in the first place, Reynolds was more concerned about teaming up with Levy himself than about bringing Jackman out of Wolverine retirement.

A lot of stuff had to happen in order for “Deadpool & Wolverine” to become the R-rated box office juggernaut it is now. First of all, MCU movies had to become bad so that Kevin Feige would be willing to try whatever it took to rekindle the Marvel magic. Then, Feige had to agree to Hugh Jackman resurrecting Logan — something that only happened after Jackman put in a personal phone call to the Marvel Studios head. Finally, Shawn Levy had to actually make a good movie — which, depending on how you feel about “Deadpool & Wolverine,” may or may not be a goal he accomplished.

But as far as Ryan Reynolds was concerned, in order for any of this to happen in the first place, Levy had to be onboard as director. In the latest issue of SFX, the “Night at the Museum” filmmaker spoke about how he became involved with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” recalling how it all began when he and Reynolds were working on “The Adam Project” together. Levy said:

“[Reynolds] says, ‘Okay, I know you’re going to say no, but I’ll only do Deadpool again if you direct it.’ I told him I’d love to direct that movie, because the truth is, if you work in the big-canvas filmmaking space, as I have since those ‘Night at the Museum’ movies, it’s a dream to be able to tell a story on that kind of epic and anthemic canvas.”

Based on “Free Guy” and “The Adam Project,” you might be surprised to hear about Reynolds’ enthusiasm for having Levy helm his grand MCU debut. But I guess the two are good friends or maybe Levy is a loyal Mint Mobile customer.

Some, including /Film’s Chris Evangelista, surmised that Shawn Levy directed “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “with all of the energy and style of a car commercial” (something which no doubt delighted marketing wiz Ryan Reynolds). Still, the director did at least try to stop the third “Deadpool” installment from embracing the dreaded Marvel green screen look that has dominated the franchise’s anti-climactic fifth phase. Clearly, then, Levy tried to steer the movie in some sort of direction, which if we’re being charitable demonstrates the man took his job somewhat seriously.

Interestingly, though, the director went on to tell SFX how much of a “fan of Marvel movies” he is, adding, “I was already a fan of Deadpool and a huge fan of Wolverine, so the opportunity to join the ‘Deadpool’ franchise but to do something notably different was compelling.” But just what Levy is referring to when he says he had an opportunity to do something “different” with “Deadpool & Wolverine” remains unclear.

Yes, the film was packed with more cameos than any other MCU movie, and this is the first time we’ve seen Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in a buddy cop-style outing. But many have argued that “Deadpool & Wolverine” is merely just the absurd terminus of a franchise that fell victim to audience capture years ago, and is simply the result of unashamedly indulging the worst impulses that led to the MCU’s slow demise in the first place. If that’s something different, then, sure. Either way, “Deadpool & Wolverine” made over a billion dollars so nobody involved is worried about whether the movie is good or not anyway.