Warning: Spoilers for Logan movie below.
Wolverine fans who were saddened to see actor Hugh Jackman’s brandish his adamantium claws for a final time in 2017’s Logan will have a solid reason to dry their eyes in 2024. According to a recent social media announcement from Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine for Deadpool 3; the movie has also been given an official release date: September 6th, 2024.
“Hey everyone, we’re extremely sad to have missed D23, but we’ve been working very hard on the next ‘Deadpool’ film for a good long while now,” Reynolds says in the announcement video. “I’ve had to really search my soul on this one. His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special. We need to stay true to the character, find new depth, motivation, meaning. Every ‘Deadpool’ needs to stand out and stand apart. It’s been an incredible challenge that has forced me to reach down deep inside. And I…I have nothing. Yeah, just completely empty up here. And terrifying. But we did have one idea.”
“Hey, Hugh, you want to play Wolverine one more time?” Reynolds says as Jackman casually strolls by in the background.
“Yeah, sure, Ryan,” Jackman says nonchalantly. The video culminates with mellifluous Whitney Houston ballad “I Will Always Love You,” and a “Coming Hugh” pun emblazoned on the screen. The Deadpool logo is then sliced and diced by Wolverine’s adamantium claws.
Check out Reynold’s announcement as well as the confirmation that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine for Deadpool 3 below:
Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/OdV7JmAkEu
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 27, 2022
Deadpool 3, which will be the MCU’s first R-rated film under the Disney banner and a movie which the writers affirm that that the studio is letting them “do what we do” with, is being directed by Shawn Levy of Free Guy and The Adam Project fame.
Does the news that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 mean that the character didn’t actually expire at the end of Logan? Or will the Wolverine that makes his first appearance in the MCU be a different, alternate universe version of the one that we saw in the 20th Century Fox X-Men films? Will Wolverine square off against Deadpool and then team-up with him thereafter a la Cable and Deadpool in Deadpool 2 or will the circumstances be different altogether? in We’ll keep you updated as more news become available.