Deadpool 3, in which Ryan Reynolds will make his MCU debut as the title character, has had its release date moved back from September 2024 to November 2024. After the departure of Blade’s initial director, Bassam Tariq, two weeks ago, Marvel Studios chose to cease production, causing the delay. Deadpool 3 has been in the works for a few years, but it wasn’t until two weeks ago that Reynolds confirmed the Merc with a Mouth will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to announcing the release date for Deadpool 3, the statement also confirmed that Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine, which he previously performed in the highly praised 2016 film Logan.
Putting off the premiere of a movie two weeks after selecting a release date seems strange, but Marvel Studios is encountering unprecedented hurdles with Blade. Although production on Blade was scheduled to begin in November, Tariq’s resignation has forced Marvel Studios to look for a replacement director and, possibly, make changes to the screenplay. Since Blade stars the in-demand Mahershala Ali, any setback might have a domino effect as the entire production adjusts to the actor’s schedule. When you factor in the extensive post-production required of every film in the MCU, it’s easy to see why Blade will miss its November 3, 2023 release date.
Nonetheless, due to the interconnected nature of the MCU as a whole and the fact that Marvel Studios prefers to schedule release dates years in advance, a shift in one movie’s scheduling affects a number of subsequent films. Deadpool 3 isn’t the only MCU film that had to be delayed so that Blade could debut. On September 6, 2024, Blade received Deadpool 3 for its release. As a result, the original release date of Fantastic Four has been pushed back to February 14, 2025, while the release date of Deadpool 3 has been scheduled for November 8, 2024.
The release date of the last chapter, Avengers: Secret Wars, has been pushed back from November 7, 2025, to May 1, 2026. Since Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will still come out on May 2, 2025, Marvel Studios is effectively creating a longer gap between the two subsequent Avengers movies. When it’s time for the next major crossover event, the studio makes sure all the heroes are prepared. Little is known about the narrative of Deadpool 3, other than the fact that Wolverine will be making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
Directed by Shawn Levy and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the picture marks Reynolds’ return to the director’s chair after their previous collaborations on Free Guy and Netflix’s The Adam Project. Leslie Uggams joins the cast as Deadpool’s blind roommate Blind Al in the third instalment.