‘Deadpool 3’ Not in Marvel’s Five-Year Schedule, Says Comic Book Creator
By Jordan Moreau
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Marvel fans shouldn’t expect to see a new “Deadpool” movie for at least five years, according to the character’s comic book creator Rob Liefeld.
In an interview with io9, Liefeld explained that he’s seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule for the next five years, and “Deadpool 3″ isn’t on the docket.
“Until a movie is put on a schedule, it’s not taken seriously. And what people don’t like is that I have assessed the schedule for the next — give or take — five years and I don’t see ‘Deadpool’ on it. I don’t see that it can arrive earlier than that,” he said.
The comic book writer addressed how some of his previous comments about the lack of production on “Deadpool 3″ were misinterpreted as a knock against Marvel. He said that next time he’s questioned about it he should lie in order to not rile up fans.
“Do I know that there is no movement on a ‘Deadpool 3’ right now? I know that, yes. Does that worry me? No, not at all. What I did was I answered a question honestly, and what I learned this week is just lie. Just tell people everything is lollipop and unicorns and rainbows and you’ll be better off in your life because people want to be lied to. Just because some guy goes, ‘Yeah, we’re still moving along,’ that’s code for ‘there’s nothing to see here.’”
When Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, it inherited the rights to the X-Men characters and Deadpool, who got successful movies in 2016 and 2018. At last year’s San Diego Comic Con, producer Kevin Feige announced there were plans in the works to bring the X-Men into the MCU, but didn’t give a timeline of when fans can expect them added.
The currently announced MCU plans include “Black Widow,” “The Eternals,” “Shang-Chi,” “Blade” and sequels to “Doctor Strange,” “Thor: Ragnorak,” “Captain Marvel,” “Black Panther” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” The farthest-out movies are dated for 2022.
With Disney’s PG-13 ratings on its superhero films, the R-rated “Deadpool” may be tricky to accommodate. However, Liefeld thinks there’s enough interest in the property that Marvel should be planning a third installment sooner rather than later.
“My whole thing is you get access to this franchise, go give it priority,” he said. “That’s not me acting pretentious. That’s me going, ‘This is a pretty valuable commodity.’ I also have three teenagers and I see how fast their interests come and go and how everything is vying for their attention at all times.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, several of the Marvel films have gotten pushed back , and Fox’s leftover X-Men film “New Mutants” finally received a release date after Disney’s acquisition. However, it’s unclear how this affects its movies with previously unannounced dates.
“My take on [‘Deadpool 3’] is it’s not a huge priority. I wouldn’t look for it any time soon,” Liefeld said. “If it was greenlit tomorrow, it’s not coming out until I’m a lot older.”
The creator also gave some input on how a future “Deadpool” installment should be made.
“My opinion is Ryan [Reynolds] should be steering the ship and just completely handed the reins. Even to the point of plugging characters in,” he said. “Give him three characters he can integrate and let him integrate them. If people ask what I want to see, that’s where it begins. Just please don’t micromanage the guy. Just give him free rein.”
