Ryan Reynolds is putting in maximum effort on Deadpool 3 as we speak. The actor has confirmed that the movie is in development at Marvel, which is a big deal. There was serious doubt about the future of the project following the Disney/Fox merger. Disney doesn’t usually deal in R-rated movies and, as such, Deadpool’s future was somewhat up in the air. But no longer. 

“We’re working on it right now with the whole team,” Reynolds said during a recent appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan. “We’re over at Marvel, which is the big leagues all of a sudden. It’s kind of crazy.”

This suggests that franchise writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are back on the job as well. There is no word on who will direct Deadpool 3. Tim Miller helmed the first installment, with David Leitch stepping in to direct Deadpool 2. It’s likely Leitch would be asked to come back, given the level of success they enjoyed with the sequel. In any event, this is great news for fans who were hoping that this franchise would continue on under the Marvel Studios umbrella. 

Plot details remain under wraps for now. It had previously been confirmed by the top Disney brass that the films can remain R-rated, which is important. So don’t expect the studio to force them to go PG-13 on this one. Why mess with a winning formula? Deadpool and Deadpool 2 brought in a combined $1.51 billion at the box office. 

“Kevin Feige has so much on his plate and he is the master of the universe,” Wernick said in an interview with Fandom earlier this year. “When [Marvel Studios head] Kevin [Feige] says it’s time, it’ll be time. That may be a year from now, it may be six months from now, it may be three years from now. He doesn’t make a wrong move so whatever decision he makes will be the right one. Again, we’re ready to snap to it whenever Ryan gives us that call and says, ‘Let’s go.’ And that’s also about finding the right idea and how that fits into the larger MCU universe. It’s a little more complicated than when we were at Fox, but we’re happy to be part of the MCU now and whatever Kevin says, we do.”

Here’s the synopsis for Deadpool 2. 

“Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool meets Russell, an angry teenage mutant who lives at an orphanage. When Russell becomes the target of Cable — a genetically enhanced soldier from the future — Deadpool realizes that he’ll need some help saving the boy from such a superior enemy. He soon joins forces with Bedlam, Shatterstar, Domino and other powerful mutants to protect young Russell from Cable and his advanced weaponry.” 

So what do you think? Are you excited that Deadpool 3 is finally happening? Do you think Wade Wilson will be brought into the MCU? Or should he continue to exist in his own little universe? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!