Deadpool 3 Director Likens the ‘Very R-Rated’ Movie to 48 Hours and Midnight Run

“Our movie is raw, audacious, very much R-rated.” Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy didn’t mince words when he discussed the 2024 superhero sequel while promoting Netflix’s upcoming All the Light We Cannot See at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It was there that Levy compared Deadpool’s first foray in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to some of the best buddy-film comedies from the 1980s. Levy said via Deadline’s official X (formerly Twitter) account:

“We wanted something that felt grounded — real. But you put Hugh Jackman in his most iconic character alongside Ryan Reynolds in his most iconic character… I would say [Deadpool 3] is more a descendant of Midnight Run, and 48 Hours, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles than it is a descendant of Airplane!”

The internet lit up when Ryan Reynolds casually announced that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine would appear in Deadpool 3 back in September 2022. But It won’t be the first time these A-list actors have worked together. Most recently, at the end of Deadpool 2, the two stars appear on-screen together via some movie magic when the chimichanga-munching mutant (Reynolds) travels back in time to save the love of his life, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), from the clutches of death.

Related: 10 Reasons Why Deadpool 3 Is the Perfect Movie for Wolverine’s Return

As the credits of Deadpool 2 roll along (in the ‘Super Duper Cut’), with Cher’s song “If I Could Turn Back Time” resonating, the foul-mouthed merc (Reynolds) did a little time traveling. His primary goal was to save Vanessa’s (Baccarin) life, which the antihero accomplished. And then he put 12 bullets into the X-Men Origins: Wolverine version of Deadpool! Director Shawn Levy said in the same Deadline interview:

“Switching gears now to Deadpool 3: What is happening? Well, like the rest of our industry, or at least large swaths of it, we are paused. We were halfway through filming Deadpool, co-starring Wolverine. It was a joy every day, and that chemistry is, I have to say — spoiler alert — it is as relentlessly awesome as we had all hoped it would be.

But, we are halfway through filming. We shut down. Our crew and the rest of us are awaiting a fair and equitable deal that ends these strikes and puts our industry, and certainly inclusive of our movie, back at work.”

During the aforementioned credits scene from Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Cut, the merc with a mouth and Logan converse — well, Deadpool does most of the talking. During that conversation, Reynolds tells Jackson that one day he’ll be asked by Wade Wilson to come back and play his iconic role once more. And that’s exactly what happened until the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes rolled up on the scene.

Deadpool 3 is currently slated to hit theaters on May 3, 2024, and audiences can’t wait to watch that chemistry in action.