Disney Announces Shawn Levy to Direct ‘Deadpool’ Sequel

The Canadian director is set to reteam with fellow Canadian and frequent collaborator, Ryan Reynolds for the highly anticipated third film of the deadpool franchise.

Shawn Levy has been named to direct the long-awaited Deadpool 3. This will mark the third collaboration between Levy and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. The news broke mere days after their family sci-fi film, The Adam Project, premiered on Netflix. The other team-up between the two, Free Guy, was the surprise hit of last summer and is now streaming on Disney+.

Deadpool 3 will mark the first film of this franchise to be made after Disney’s 2019 purchase of 20th Century Fox. Fans have been concerned, given Deadpool’s violent and raunchy nature, that the Disney acquisition and move to the MCU would force writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (who penned the first two Deadpool movies) to create a more family-friendly instalment. Both Kevin Feige and ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger have repeatedly assured fans that this latest feature would be R-rated.

The announcement that Levy taking the reins of Deadpool 3 makes him the third director in as many movies. The first film was the directorial debut of Tim Miller. Despite making the movie a financial success and holding the record for largest opening weekend of an R-rated film (until It came out the following year), Miller left Deadpool 2 over creative differences. David Leitch stepped in as director for the second film, which premiered in 2018. Given its release proximity to the Disney acquisition, the future of Deadpool and the X-Men had been up in the air for quite some time. However, Levy’s hiring announcement and the implications from Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness trailer, it seems Disney has figured out where Deadpool and the X-Men fit in the MCU.

At first glance, Levy’s career might not seem like he’s the guy to call on for a violent, provocative superhero feature. His past credits are much more tame, including films like Big Fat Liar starring Amanda Bynes and Frankie Muñoz in their heyday, the Steve Martin remake of Cheaper by the Dozen, and Night at the Museum. The closest he gets to grittier, more adult-focused fare is episodes of Netflix’s Stranger Things and feature comedies like The Internship and Date Night. Even then, these movies, while not family-friendly, certainly don’t match the level of chaotic, brutal mania that Deadpool is known for.

Also new to the team for Deadpool 3 are Bob’s Burgers writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin. They wrote the original draft of the script before it was turned over to the screenwriters from the first two films. Reynolds will be returning as the titular Deadpool, but so far no further casting announcements or returns have been made. Deadpool 2 saw the introduction of Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino, both of whom became instant fan favorites.

Given the success of Levy and Reynolds’ prior film collaborations, there’s a reignited sense of excitement for Deadpool 3. The clear passion Reynolds has for this character and his story, coupled with his trust in Levy as a director, could lead Deadpool 3 to break opening weekend records just as its predecessors have done. After four years since the release of Deadpool 2, any and all news about the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ is welcome for eager fans.