Deadpool II
| Deadpool II | |
|---|---|
 Threatical poster | |
| Directed by | Freddie Goodwin |
| Written by | Jackson Greene Ryan Reynolds Freddie Goodwin |
| Based on | Deadpool by |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Rob Simonsen |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date | September 23, 2029 |
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $210 million |
Deadpool II is a 2029 American superhero film based on the superhero Wade Wilson/Deadpool from Marvel Comics. Produced by Mob Productions and Ryan Reynolds and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is a sequel to Deadpool (2024). It is the 15th film of the Mob Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Freddie Goodwin from a screenplay written by Jackson Greene, Reynolds, and Goodwin. The film stars Reynolds as the titular character Deadpool alongside Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. In the film, Deadpool must deal with the aftermath of Harbingers: Endgame (2028) and the revamped timeline but must do that with a old returning friend.
Development of a Deadpool sequel began under SOI Studios during the planning of the now-abandoned "SOIverse," initially envisioned as the finale of Deadpool's storyline leading into a broader universe culmination. Following SOI Studios' acquisition by Disney and its merger with Mob Productions in 2019, the sequel's development was reset. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Freddie Goodwin shifted the sequel's focus towards featuring Deadpool alongside another character, with the specific character undecided at that time. By July 2021, amidst the production of the first film, it was decided that the sequel would center on Deadpool and Wolverine, bringing Hugh Jackman back to reprise his role from the X-Men series.
Deadpool II was released on September 23, 2029, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. The film recieved positive reviews who praised the action and story. The film grossed $753 million worldwide. A sequel is in development.
Plot[edit | edit source]
Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, is a mercenary known for his quick wit and irreverent humor. As the story begins, Deadpool is deeply entrenched in the chaotic world of New York City, engaging in high-octane mercenary missions that often leave a trail of destruction. Despite his efforts to be a hero, his unconventional methods often lead to complicated situations.
One day, during a particularly explosive encounter with a notorious mob syndicate, a mysterious figure emerges amidst the chaos. This figure is revealed to be Wolverine, hailing from an alternate universe. His sudden appearance in the city creates a stir, not only because of his fearsome reputation but also because of his visibly haunted demeanor, marked by a history of failure and loss.
The initial interactions between Deadpool and Wolverine are contentious, with Wolverine's gruff and aggressive demeanor clashing sharply with Deadpool's mocking and lighthearted approach. Despite their differences, Deadpool becomes intrigued by Wolverine’s mysterious past and his reasons for crossing into this universe.
As the two attempt to navigate their uneasy alliance, a new threat emerges in the form of Cassandra Nova, a powerful and malevolent mutant with ambitions that threaten the entire mutant population. Nova's powers are vast, including telepathy and telekinesis, and she is revealed to be the twin sister of Charles Xavier, adding layers of complexity to her character and her sinister plans.
Nova's plot involves unleashing a psychic weapon that could enslave or destroy all mutantkind, pushing Deadpool, Wolverine, and their allies to band together to stop her. The team includes Deadpool’s fiancée, Vanessa, who is exploring new depths of her relationship with Wade; Blind Al, Wade’s acerbic yet insightful roommate; and members of the X-Force, including the enthusiastic but inexperienced Peter.
Their journey to thwart Nova's plans takes them from the gritty streets of Manhattan to the high-tech corridors of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), where they encounter Paradox, an agent with his own complex agenda. Along the way, the group faces numerous challenges, including internal conflicts and the harsh realities of their differences with Wolverine, who struggles with his own demons and the burden of his past failures.
The climax of the film sees the group confronting Nova in a monumental battle that spans the physical and psychic planes. Wolverine and Deadpool’s relationship, having evolved from initial hostility to a nuanced partnership, becomes crucial in orchestrating the team’s strategy against Nova. The battle tests their strategies, willpower, and the bonds they’ve formed.
As Nova’s plan unravels, the heroes are forced to make significant sacrifices, leading to profound changes in their lives and relationships. The resolution sees a mix of victory and loss, setting the stage for future adventures in the MCU.
The film concludes with Deadpool and Wolverine acknowledging their respect for one another, having been changed by their experiences. Wolverine begins to find a sense of purpose in this new universe, while Deadpool continues to navigate the fine line between heroism and chaos.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool: A wisecracking mercenary with accelerated healing but severe scarring over his body after undergoing an experimental regenerative mutation to treat terminal cancer. Writer Rhett Reese described the film as a fish out of water story for Deadpool, who is a lunatic returning to the "very sane world" of the Mob Cinematic Universe (MCU).
- Hugh Jackman as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine: A mutant with healing abilities, retractable claws, and an adamantium-infused skeleton. This version of the character is from an alternative universe where he let down the inhabitants, allowing Jackman to explore new aspects of the character than in his prior appearances in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series. He described Logan and Deadpool as opposites with a "quarreling dynamic" that would frustrate Logan. To prepare for the role, Jackman began a vigorous workout routine which included eating up to 8,000 calories a day.
- Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova: A mutant with telekinetic and telepathic powers who is the twin sister of Charles Xavier. Corrin was excited to play a villain in the film as they had not played many villainous roles before.
- Morena Baccarin as Vanessa: Wilson's fiancée. Baccarin believed the film would further reinvent Vanessa's relationship with Wilson while maintaining a core element that keeps them together.
- Rob Delaney as Peter: A member of Wilson's X-Force team
- Leslie Uggams as Blind Al: Wilson's blind elderly roommate.
- Karan Soni as Dopinder: A taxi driver and admirer of Wilson who serves as his de facto chauffeur
- Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox: A Time Variance Authority (TVA) agent
Also reprising their roles from the previous Deadpool films are Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, a teenage member of the X-Men with the mutant power to detonate atomic bursts from her body; Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, a member of the X-Men with the mutant ability to transform his entire body into organic steel; Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Negasonic Teenage Warhead's girlfriend and fellow X-Men member; Randal Reeder as Buck; and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, a member of X-Force.
Several actors from previous Fox Marvel films also reprise their roles, including Aaron Stanford as John Allerdyce / Pyro, a mutant with the ability to manipulate fire, from the X-Men film series; and Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios, an assassin who wields a pair of sai, from Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005). Other characters that appear in the film are Dogpool, a canine variant of Wilson, played by dog actor Peggy, and the mutants Sabretooth, Toad, Lady Deathstrike, and Azazel. Additionally, Chris Hemsworth appears as Thor through repurposed archival footage from Avengers: Infinity War (2018), while Greg Hemphill plays a bartender,and Wrexham A.F.C. player Ollie Palmer briefly appears as a bar attendee.
Production[edit | edit source]
Background[edit | edit source]
Negotiations regarding a sequel to Deadpool (2024) began in 2023 when filming was completed. Ryan Reynolds agreed to return as long as he is a producer of each project his character appears in. At first, Freddie Goodwin planned to direct and write the sequel as he did the same with the first film, however chose to oversee projects as the producer and CEO of Mob Productions and the work that is requried to continue the MCU.
Development[edit | edit source]
Development on a second Deadpool film began when SOI Studios began outlining films for the scrapped "SOIverse"; and planned a sequel to 2024's Deadpool film. The film was originally planned to feature the epic conclusion to the Deadpool story-arc and lead into the universe conclusion. In 2019, after SOI Studios was aquired by Disney and merged with Mob Productions, the films development progress had already been restarted. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Freddie Goodwin remade the plan to make films focus on more than a singler character and remade the plan for the Deadpool film sequel to focus on Deadpool and a second character, though at the time didn't know which character. By July 2021, during the development of the first film, the film was reported to focus on Wolverine and would have Hugh Jackman reprise his role from the X-Men film series.
During a interview in 2021, Goodwin expressed interests in making more than a dozen films and revealed he had planned up to 2027. During this time, SOI Studios had already outlined film scripts for four films planned to be part of their "SOIverse", though the plans were either scrapped or merged into the MCU. Two of those films were Deadpool (2024) and a sequel. After SOI Studios merged with Mob Productions, Goodwin created a plan that lasted until 2025, which films would release monthly beginning in February 2024. He announced that three films based on the comic team Harbingers was in development and stated the third one would be released in 2025. Goodwin began writing the film in 2023 after he completed writing Deadpool (2024).
Goodwin confirmed that all the films that release before it will have a part towards it as this is a crossover film that intends to include every hero from the films released prior, events will play out as planned, and will conclude a saga that began with the first film. During a 2023 development presentation, Goodwin confirmed that the film would be around two and a half hours in length. He announced that the script is already finished and they are working on making adjustments before they begin filming.
After finishing releasing multiple films per year for three consecutive years, Mob Productions decided to slow down on developing, producing, and releasing films each year due to the loss of money over the three years and overload of content on the list of films.
Pre-production[edit | edit source]
Prior to starting development, Goodwin worked with Reynolds on ensuring the sets for the film were prepared for the filming that was about to commence and continue through the next two and a half months. Goodwin announced that around 80% of the film would require visual-effect work and lots of action sequences would use CGI shots to accomplish with a mixture of live action. In order to keep everything the film features, Mob Productions made the sets inside a green-screen house building with huge roads, buildings, other equipment to replicate real on-set locations, though some scenes would be shot in the actual location due to it being easy to conceal.
Casting[edit | edit source]
Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool. Reprising their roles from the first film is Morena Baccarin, Stefan Kapičić, Rob Delaney, Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Brolin, and Zazie Beetz. It was also confirmed that Dev Patel would reprise his role as Alex Singh in the film.
Visual-effects[edit | edit source]
Music[edit | edit source]
Rob Simonsen was hired to compose the film's score, after previously working with Levy on Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Marketing[edit | edit source]
A teaser trailer for the film was released during Super Bowl LVIII in April 2029. Nick Romano from Entertainment Weekly said the trailer confirmed the film's R rating and the fact that Deadpool would be "infiltrating" the MCU. Austin Goslin of Polygon also highlighted the use of MCU elements and questioned whether Reynolds was playing the same version of Deadpool as he did in the previous films, due to how happy he is at the start of the trailer. Wired's Angela Wattercutter noted a sexually explicit pegging joke in the trailer, a first for the MCU. Wattercutter speculated that the film could expand upon queer themes previously explored in Loki and the MCU Thor films. The trailer's inclusion of the Secret Wars (2015) #5 comic book issue was also discussed, given Marvel Studios had announced the film Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Shortly after the trailer's premiere, Jackman posted a tongue-in-cheek jab at Reynolds with a modified logo displaying "Wolverine & Asshole". The trailer had 365 million global views in its first 24 hours, surpassing the record of Spider-Man: No Way Home (355.5 million views) to become the most viewed trailer in that time period. The reported views included the 123 million Super Bowl viewers who saw a 30-second version of the trailer.
A "silence your phones" public service announcement with Deadpool and Wolverine opened Disney's presentation at CinemaCon in June 2024, during which Feige and Levy debuted nine minutes of exclusive footage from the film. The Hollywood Reporter said this "drew the biggest laughter" of all the presentations at the convention. An official trailer debuted on July 22 set to "Like a Prayer" by Madonna.
Release[edit | edit source]
Deadpool II was released in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2029. It is part of Phase Four of the MCU.
Future[edit | edit source]
Discussing the future, Goodwin announced they had no plans at the time to make a third film based on Deadpool. Reynolds announced shortly after that he might want to make a third film in the far future, but will wait until the time Goodwin wants to make a sequel. Former SOI Studios leader Jackson Greene stated he will begin working on the third film.