“Some of the best love stories start with murder,” Deadpool says in the beginning of the first film. “And that’s exactly what this is, a love story.”
Deadpool 2 starts with a murder as well. Which, according to Deadpool, is what makes it the “perfect family film.”
So what about the third entry in the Deadpool film franchise? Will it start with a murder? And will it highlight a specific emotional theme as well? While the first two Deadpool movies were surprisingly emotional and full of pathos, particularly for a character who is well-known for being a comedic character, Deadpool & Wolverine is even ‘more emotional’ than the first two films according to director Shawn Levy.
“This is not called ‘Deadpool 3,’” said director Shawn Levy on the Official Marvel Podcast. “There’s a reason this is not called ‘Deadpool 3’ because it’s very much ‘Deadpool and Wolverine.’ And that is the defining trait and premise of this picture.”
“Wade’s world is eight people,” Levy continued. “If you’re Wade Wilson, the stakes are not ‘Oh, I’m going to do the noble thing and save the universe,’ it’s ‘I’m going to do the thing I’m compelled to do, which is save my friends because my friends are my world.’ So, bringing back those O.G. ‘Deadpool’ franchise characters was non-negotiable. It was built into our ideas in the very first story meetings… Certainly, we’re going for things that are more emotional than those first two movies.”
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige reiterated the sentiment that Deadpool & Wolverine is even ‘more emotional’ than the first two films in a Comic-Con interview with Deadline, noting that this is the MCU’s first R-rated film.
“I think we’ve been edgy in the past, but my favorite thing is that we span all types of genres and tones. I think it gets a lot of attention that this is our first R-rated movie, but it is the third R-rated Deadpool movie, so we wanted to stay true to what Ryan [Reynolds] has built over those last couple of movies and we weren’t going to undo that.”
Feige added, “I will say — Hugh and Ryan have talked about this — and I think people can tell from the trailer and from the press tour so far, yes, it’s R-rated, yes there’s some language and blood, but the film is incredibly emotional. I keep calling it the most wholesome R-rated film that anybody can ever see,” Feige said. “It really is a celebration of friendship and family and of found family. I don’t want to overdo it, but for all the R-rated raunchiness that gets attention, when people see the movie, it’s going to be about how heartfelt it is — in my opinion, much more than the first two Deadpool films. That’s what I’m really excited about, once people get past the ‘F’ words and the R-rating, to see how sweet it is.”
Are you excited at the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine is even ‘more emotional’ than the first two films? Do you think the film will be able to as adroitly balance comedy and heartfelt emotion as it did in Deadpool and Deadpool 2? Let us know in the comments.
