Deadpool & Wolverine director explains why it isn’t Deadpool 3

Deadpool & Wolverine is a whole new project in itself, says director Shawn Levy, and it shouldn’t really be thought of as Deadpool 3.

As the long-awaited follow-up to the secondDeadpooladventure, it’s easy for fans to think of theupcoming Marvel movieas Deadpool 3. But director Shawn Levy has explained that, really, it’s not Deadpool 3 at all.

Ryan Reynolds dressed as Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine

In the words of the director himself, it’s very much a self-contained project. As we all know, this time, it’ll focus on the team-up between the Merc with a Mouth and Wolverine. But this is a key element in understanding why Deadpool & Wolverine is so different.

“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 saidat CinemaCon [via ScreenRant].

Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds' Avengers post on Instagram

“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 and 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 (aka Wade Wilson) has always been an outlier, even in his own films. Traditionally, he’s rejected by other, more famous superheroes such as the X-Men. However, in the newsuperhero movie, he finally gets screen time with Hugh Jackman’s iteration of Wolverine.

Taron Egerton in Smoke and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine

So much so, that the two antiheroes share the title. Deadpool & Wolverine will see Wilson become entangled with pre-existingMarvelproperties as he enters the MCU. All this with a little help from the TVA.

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While Jackman’s Wolverine was merely teased in the trailer, he’ll form a large part of this story, a key component in making it stand out among the previous Deadpool movies.

For more, check out ourDeadpool & Wolverine trailer breakdown. You can also find out more about the movie’s villain,Cassandra Nova.