Deadpool & Wolverine helmer Shawn Levy reveals how Hugh Jackman's Wolverine return "radically" altered the direction of the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film. However, the director believes the movie is better off because of his inclusion.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about the newest Deadpool film, Levy delved into what happened behind the scenes when Jackman opted out of his Wolverine retirement for the Phase Five MCU movie. According to Levy, Jackman's return "completely" changed Deadpool & Wolverine's story. "Everything changed radically on the day that Hugh called Ryan," Levy said. "We had been workshopping a lot of ideas about possible stories for a third Deadpool movie. Those were story ideas that were more sequelly to the first two Deadpools, but None of them imagined such a seismic shift. I can safely say that the story completely changed and, in fact, came to us very, very quickly starting that day."

Hugh Jackman's Return As Wolverine

Jackman announced his return as Wolverine in 2022 alongside Reynolds, with Deadpool & Wolverine marking his first appearance as the claw-wielding character since 2017's Logan. Though Jackman's return excited MCU enthusiasts, Marvel president Kevin Feige initially tried to convince the Australian actor not to reprise his role given that Wolverine died in Logan. However, Jackman ignored Feige's advice, having said that he regretted his retirement announcement multiple times.

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Jackman will be sporting Wolverine's comics-accurate yellow suit from the X-Men series, something he's expressed excitement about. “We almost did it in The Wolverine,” Jackman told Empire. “But from the moment I put it on here, I was like, ‘How did we never do this?’ It looked so right, it felt so right. I was like, ‘That’s him."

Feige recently recalled the original pitch for the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine, confirming he rejected star and executive producer Ryan Reynolds' original pitch for the latest Deadpool installment, which was a "Rashomon story about Wolverine and Deadpool," a large-scale movie with a creative narrative outline. The official synopsis sees Deadpool & Wolverine chronicling Reynolds' Wade Wilson as he's pulled from his quiet life by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), setting him on a mission with Wolverine that will change the MCU's future. The film is also expected to see some Multiverse mayhem as it's rumored to look back at some of the MCU's biggest moments.

Though Deadpool & Wolverine is the third Deadpool film, Levy insists the movie is not a threequel given its narrative and setting in the MCU. The superhero blockbuster is the most anticipated summer movie, with its trailer setting records for the MCU before its release. The film is also expected to feature multiple celebrity cameos, with Taylor Swift and Halle Berry heavily rumored to be among them.

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters on Jul. 26.

Source: Entertainment Weekly