As if he had a time machine straight out of a Marvel film, Hugh Jackman foresaw the friendship between Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds years before they ever met.
Levy recalls the B次元官网网址淴-MenB次元官网网址� actor bringing up Reynolds on the set of his 2011 sci-fi film B次元官网网址淩eal Steel,B次元官网网址� which starred Jackman.
B次元官网网址淗e literally told me that if I ever worked with Ryan Reynolds, IB次元官网网址檇 probably never stop,B次元官网网址� the Montreal-born directorsays on a video call from New York.
B次元官网网址淗ugh had this feeling that Ryan and I matched up just right.B次元官网网址�
Levy says he went on to forge a B次元官网网址渃reative brotherhoodB次元官网网址� with Reynolds, directing the Vancouver-born actor in 2021B次元官网网址檚 action-comedy B次元官网网址淔ree GuyB次元官网网址� and 2022B次元官网网址檚 sci-fi adventure B次元官网网址淭he Adam Project.B次元官网网址�
He says Reynolds handpicked Levy to direct and co-write B次元官网网址淒eadpool & WolverineB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� the third movie in his hit Deadpool franchise and the first from Marvel Studios after its parent company Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. ItB次元官网网址檚 out Friday.
B次元官网网址淚 hate to say it, but I do think our Canadianness is part of (our connection),B次元官网网址� says Levy, whoB次元官网网址檚 helmed family comedies including 2006B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淣ight at the MuseumB次元官网网址� and produced the sci-fi behemoth B次元官网网址淪tranger ThingsB次元官网网址� for Netflix.
B次元官网网址淲e both feel the privilege of these jobs we get to do. We have a shared humility and civility and thereB次元官网网址檚 tremendous respect for each other. We really love building movies designed for audience joy. We also are grinders. We love to work hard.B次元官网网址�
Evidently, they love to play hard too. Levy says he, Reynolds and Jackman are close friends in real life, and the press tour for B次元官网网址淒eadpool & WolverineB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渉as basically been like a boyB次元官网网址檚 trip paid for by Disney.B次元官网网址�
At the filmB次元官网网址檚 Canadian premiere in Toronto on Tuesday, the trio took over a downtown multiplex where they also signed autographs and met fans, many decked out in costumes for the sneak preview.
The film sees Reynolds suit up again as the merc with a mouth, this time joining forces with Jackman in his long-awaited return as iconic X-Men superhero Wolverine, who was killed off in 2017B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淟ogan.B次元官网网址�
Set a few years after 2018B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淒eadpool 2,B次元官网网址� the titular Canadian anti-superhero is down on his luck, fresh off bombing a job interview with the Avengers and being dumped by his girlfriend. But when heB次元官网网址檚 tapped by interdimensional agency the Time Variance Authority, led by Matthew MacfadyenB次元官网网址檚 smarmy Mr. Paradox, to mercy kill his own withering universe within the multiverse, he refuses and recruits an especially cranky iteration of fellow Canuck Wolverine to save the day.
When they arenB次元官网网址檛 squabbling and tearing each other to shreds, Deadpool and Wolverine are teaming up against Emma CorrinB次元官网网址檚 Cassandra Nova, ruler of the Void, a purgatory between multiverses the protagonists find themselves trapped in.
Although Reynolds had been pitching a Deadpool-Wolverine team-up for years, Jackman was initially hesitant, wanting to preserve the legacy of his adamantium-clawed character. However, Levy notes the chance to collaborate with friends ultimately swayed the Australian actor.
B次元官网网址淭he three of us have so much trust and affection and we spend a lot of time together off screen,B次元官网网址� he says.
B次元官网网址淚 know Hugh had this epiphany to come back, and I think he knew he was coming back with friends, which would mean not only a fun experience, but he trusted his buddies to protect the legacy of Logan and to protect him in this return.B次元官网网址�
Fan expectations are high for B次元官网网址淒eadpool & Wolverine.B次元官网网址� Not only is the filmmaking crew B次元官网网址� which includes returning screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese B次元官网网址� responsible for bridging the worlds of the Avengers and the formerly Fox-owned X-Men for the first time, but many hope the film will recharge the MCU after it experienced rare box-office flops with last yearB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淎nt-Man and the Wasp: QuantamaniaB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Marvels.B次元官网网址�
LevyB次元官网网址檚 answer to the discourse surrounding the movie is to address it head-on via DeadpoolB次元官网网址檚 many fourth wall-shattering asides. Early on, the merc quips to Wolverine: B次元官网网址淲elcome to the MCU. YouB次元官网网址檙e joining at a bit of a low point.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know that Marvel needs saving,B次元官网网址� says Levy.
B次元官网网址淥bviously, theyB次元官网网址檝e had a few stumbles and misses lately, and because itB次元官网网址檚 Deadpool, we get to name that. We get to poke fun at that. And to MarvelB次元官网网址檚 credit, they let us make fun of them because they know that thatB次元官网网址檚 the Deadpool spirit. But the pressure I feel about Marvel is not really as intense as what I feel towards the fans because IB次元官网网址檓 one of them. I love these characters. I have reverence for their legacy.B次元官网网址�
Levy says he feels especially attached to the filmB次元官网网址檚 protagonists as both have Canadian origin stories B次元官网网址� Deadpool hails from Regina, while Wolverine was born in northern Alberta.
B次元官网网址淲atch with your eyes peeled, because the nods to our homeland are everywhere. YouB次元官网网址檒l see the allegiance to Canada spread all over this movie,B次元官网网址� he says.
But Levy says that more than anything, the film is a celebration of friendship.
B次元官网网址淥bviously, Deadpool and Wolverine are at each otherB次元官网网址檚 throats for a lot of the movie, but what people donB次元官网网址檛 quite know yet is the degree to which the movie is ultimately about friendship. And it was made by friends,B次元官网网址� he says.
B次元官网网址淪o you have the warmth of this friendship off-screen that eventually finds its way into the DNA of the movie. I think the warm-heartedness of the movie might be its most unexpected aspect, but itB次元官网网址檚 the aspect that Ryan and Hugh and I are most proud of.B次元官网网址�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2024.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
