Deadpool & Wolverine Director Reveals Impact Hollywood Strikes Had on MCU Movie

Shawn Levy says the months-long delay helped Deadpool 3.

By Jenna Anderson

After two trailers and months of speculation, the theatrical debut of Deadpool & Wolverine is on the horizon. The Marvel Studios film has had quite a wild ride to the big screen, especially amid the journey of reuniting Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson / Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Logan Howlett / Wolverine on the big screen. Part of that production included being shut down for multiple months due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which caused a work stoppage for both writers and actors. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy spoke about how the strikes affected work on the project, arguing that it ultimately helped the cast and crew recalibrate their priorities for the film.

"The impact was real," Levy explained. "For me as the director, and the producer, the multi-month pause happened right in the middle of filming. All I could do was edit and review the footage. But it taught me about my movie, and it really revealed what was working and what the movie wanted to be."

"It really focused our work and I think improved our work in the second half," Levy added. "That's not a luxury we ever get in live-action filmmaking."

How Long Was Deadpool & Wolverine Shut Down?

Production on Deadpool & Wolverine was ultimately stalled for several months in July, before resuming filming around Thanksgiving in November of 2023. As Levy previously argued, the pause allowed him and Reynolds "time to get to know and think about" the story.

"We're happily back at work, and now that we know it's coming out next summer, we are working our asses off to make the best movie possible, and it's feeling good," Levy explained, before adding, "It does feel like we're back at it freshly and more deeply informed about what this movie wants to be."

What Is Deadpool & Wolverine About?

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Wolverine. The film will also star Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, and Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen in currently-unknown roles. Jennifer Garner is expected to reprise her role as Elektra from the Daredevil and Elektra films of the 2000s.

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"As far as crafting the Deadpool and Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you're talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles," Levy shared in a recent interview with ScreenRant. "It also gave me an opportunity. It's the third Deadpool movie, but it's not Deadpool 3. It's a different thing that's very much Deadpool & Wolverine. And it's not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure."

Deadpool & Wolverine will be released exclusively in theaters on Friday, July 26th.

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