Deadpool 3 Halts Filming As SAG-AFTRA Strike Proves To Be Only Thing Capable Of Shutting Wade Wilson Up
The Merc with a Mouth has survived all sorts of existential threats, from a diagnosis of terminal cancer in the first "Deadpool" movie to Josh Brolin's time-traveling villain Cable in the 2018 sequel. Deadpool even managed to shake off the incredibly misguided debacle of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which saw fit to sew Wade Wilson's mouth shut and turn him into a mindless killing machine with none of his discernible comic book traits. (Coincidentally enough, that 2009 prequel remains one of the most notorious examples of attempting to film without a completed script during the previous writer's strike.) And up until recently, the Ryan Reynolds- and Hugh Jackman-starring "Deadpool 3" managed to forge ahead despite the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, which meant that no writers could be present on-set during filming and the movie's famously improv-loving leading man couldn't deviate from the completed script.
But now, it looks like Deadpool has finally met his match.
As a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike, actors are now joining their writing colleagues on the picket lines and production on "Deadpool 3" has officially ground to an indefinite halt. The news comes courtesy of Variety, which reports that the highly-anticipated threequel — which bears the distinction of being the first major film under 20th Century Fox to be acquired by Disney and truly cross over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe – now becomes one of the earliest and most significant casualties of the dual strike, putting its release date of May 3, 2024 (which had only recently been bumped up in the schedule from November of 2024) in serious jeopardy.
Waiting game
"Deadpool 3" is now dead in the water, at least for the duration of the strike. Directed by "Free Guy" filmmaker Shawn Levy, the sequel was set to feature the return of Jennifer Garner's Elektra (who originally appeared in Ben Affleck's "Daredevil" and starred in the subsequent "Elektra" spin-off in 2005) for a fun and unexpected cameo, in what recent set photos indicate could be another multiversal superhero story. Much of the hype surrounding the film initially came from the announcement that actor Hugh Jackman would come back to play the fan-favorite Wolverine, despite what everyone assumed was a fitting sendoff in James Mangold's "Logan." In short, "Deadpool 3" has had all eyes on it throughout the length of its production.
Fans will have to wait until a new deal is struck between SAG-AFTRA and the studios, however, which is a process that several industry veterans expect could drag on until the fall. Those looking for someone to blame only need to look towards the studios that have been refusing to bargain in good faith, as recently demonstrated by Disney CEO Bob Iger's awfully tone-deaf statements.
As much as audiences may be tempted to blame the successful actors or name-brand writers who are typically the main figureheads for their films, the reality is that Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and every other major studio could've averted this entire crisis to begin with. Had the AMPTP presented fair deals to the unions and promised equitable compensation for both the writers and actors — you know, the actual talent who make movies like "Deadpool 3" possible — the cameras would still be rolling.
Deadpool on strike
Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it! In more ways than one, it's probably for the best that "Deadpool 3" shuts down production until both the actor and writer guilds reach fair deals with the studios, as represented by AMPTP.
The high-profile blockbuster disasters of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "Quantum of Solace," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," and a slew of franchise projects released between the years of 2007 and 2009 go a long way towards proving just how valuable screenwriters are (in the opening titles for "Deadpool," writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were credited as "the real heroes here"). And obviously it's rather difficult to make a movie without actors. When it comes to such a valuable commodity as "Deadpool," driven by both star power and particularly witty scripts, everyone involved will be better off with both guilds operating at full efficiency.
In the meantime, anxious fans forced to wait out the stalemate can show their full support for the workers most directly impacted by the strikes through donations to funds such as The Entertainment Community Fund, DSA-LA, and Groceries for Writers. Those living in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles are more than welcome to stop by various picket lines, whether to pick up their own signs or honk their horns in a show of solidarity.