Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool & Wolverine, has addressed the possibility of continuing the hugely successful franchise with a fourth film.
Known for blending humor, action, and comic book sensibilities, the Deadpool series has become a major success since its 2016 debut. All three Ryan Reynolds-led films, including last year's Deadpool & Wolverine, which also starred Hugh Jackman as the titular X-Men character, have reinforced the character’s popularity while breaking box office records.
Now, Levy has said that he's already considering the potential for Deadpool 4, though he also stressed the inherent difficulties of making sequels.
“I’m a fan of a lot of threes in the trilogies of movies,” he said in an interview with Kevin McCarthy (via The Playlist). “I love Back to the Future 3. I love Return of the King. [Endgame was] such a superior audience experience. When you are telling a story that has the benefit of [a] legacy connection between the audience and the characters, you’re sort of like on second base already. When I look at Deadpool & Wolverine, that became a love letter to that [20th Century Fox] legacy. We were also able to tap into years of legacy storytelling.”
“I don’t know about rule of threes, 'cause the truth is, as I contemplate, for instance, ‘Okay, how do we make another Deadpool movie?'” Levy continued. “Sequels are hard. They are dauntingly hard. I made three Night at the Museum movies. It kicked my ass every time. And so, yeah, having seen how the sausage of sequels is made, I find the whole subject a little stressful because you want to get it right.”
Whether or not Levy is up for the task again remains to be seen. Beyond live-action, the Deadpool universe continues to expand. The newly released “Deadpool VR” features Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as the titular character, offering an interactive experience that lets players inhabit Deadpool’s chaotic, irreverent world.
The popularity of the character, and in particular, Deadpool & Wolverine’s box office performance, suggests that there's room for future storytelling, provided the creative team can balance audience expectations with originality. Levy’s comments suggest that he's thinking carefully about how to approach a potential sequel, underscoring the importance of delivering a project that honors the franchise while exploring new ideas.
If Levy does return with a new film, it will likely be a while yet as he's currently directing Star Wars: Starfighter, which stars Ryan Gosling in the lead role and is due out in 2027.
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