Deadpool & Wolverine director teases "audacious" way film tackles Logan ending
Fans feared the movie would tarnish Logan's ending.
Warning: Contains mild spoilers for the opening scenes of Deadpool & Wolverine.
When it was revealed that Hugh Jackman would return to his role as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine, one question was on everyone's lips - how is it going to work after his death in Logan?
Many fans feared the new Ryan Reynolds film would tarnish Logan's "perfect" ending, which saw Wolverine sacrifice himself and succumb to his injuries in emotional scenes at the end of the 2017 film.
Now, as Deadpool & Wolverine hits cinemas, all has been revealed in a jaw-dropping opening sequence set to an incredible noughties track.
Speaking about the direct and immediate way the film tackles Logan's ending, director Shawn Levy told RadioTimes.com: "It was a very early idea that Ryan and I got very excited about.
"As soon as Hugh said he was in, we knew that we had to protect Logan, and we wanted to, frankly, acknowledge our reverence of that movie, not touch that ending - but also have some Deadpool audacious fun with it.
"And so we knew that we wanted this movie to start in a certain place, and once we had that idea and Kevin Feige and Marvel and everybody were like, 'Oh yeah, this is where a Deadpool movie has to start - right here, with this shot,' it got us very excited, and we knew there would be no mistaking the tone of this movie right out of the gate."
They still had to pitch the idea to Jackman - but, luckily, there was no issue there.
"[Hugh] laughed his ass off," Levy revealed.
"As you also saw, in later scenes with [Matthew] Macfadyen and in the TVA, we acknowledge the events of Logan and we acknowledge the reverence for the movie Logan, and so I think it’s really clear that, as a filmmaking team, there’s nothing but love and respect.
"But as a Deadpool movie, we are duty-bound to be subversive. And so the whole movie is really striking that balance between subversive audacity and fanhood - fanhood of the MCU, fanhood of Logan - and so that was really the fun of this movie, is constantly balancing."
The R-rated movie, which is the third instalment in the Deadpool franchise, will see the anti-hero unite with Wolverine against a common enemy, and will also star Emma Corrin and Macfadyen.
Plus, we're expecting to see a whole host of MCU/X-Men cameos - so keep your eyes peeled!
Deadpool & Wolverine is now available in cinemas.
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.