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Movies & TV

12th Mar 2022

Why you should maybe expect much less sex and violence in Deadpool 3

Dave Hanratty

Deadpool 3 director

The franchise has a new director.

Deadpool 3 is properly clanking into life.

Given that the second instalment of Ryan Reynolds’ notably adult take on the superhero genre made $785 million at the box office on a reported $110 million budget, another round was inevitable.

It has been almost four years, though, so you could be forgiven for wondering about the health of the project moving forward or otherwise.

As of this weekend, Deadpool 3 has landed its director, and it’s a man very familiar to Reynolds.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Shawn Levy is set to take the helm, following on from previous directors David Leitch and Tim Miller.

Levy and Reynolds are clearly quite tight, given recent team-ups on Free Guy and The Adam Project.

As for Levy’s overall filmography, it’s fair to say he’s pretty adept at more family-friendly efforts.

Let’s weigh up his CV, shall we?

  • Big Fat Liar (2002)
  • Just Married (2003)
  • Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
  • The Pink Panther (2006)
  • Night at the Museum (2006)
  • Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
  • Date Night (2010)
  • Real Steel (2011)
  • The Internship (2013)
  • This is Where I Leave You (2014)
  • Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
  • Free Guy (2021)
  • The Adam Project (2022)

It doesn’t exactly scream ‘adult-rated action movie’, does it?

Still, it seems like Reynolds has his heart set on the guy. Who knows, maybe he’ll surprise us all.

The Hollywood Reporter has pointed out that there has been previous “concern” from Disney over the Deadpool series’ more raunchy and violent characteristics, though then-CEO Bob Iger insisted the franchise would remain R-rated.

That said, Iger is no longer head of the company so who knows what direction it will take.

“Everything about Ryan Reynolds makes me want to keep working with him,” said Levy.

“I think it’s the fact that he’s not only a great actor and a classic movie star, but he’s also a real filmmaker.

“We produced Free Guy together, we produced The Adam Project together.

“He’s just so additive as a partner in every step of the process so I feel like this creative brotherhood that we’ve stumbled into is one of the best things that’s ever happened in my career,” Levy added.

No release date has been set for Deadpool 3 as of yet.

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