The movie industry is arguably waiting around for “Deadpool & Wolverine” to hit theaters, Marvel Studios’ only film of 2024, though hopefully someone enlivens the box office before then. Originally scheduled to be a May 3 release at the top of the summer, the film was delayed because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023, moving the film into July (before that, there were two previous fall dates in 2023 that the film also had to push off from).
But in a new interview with the Associated Press, director Shawn Levy basically called the delay a blessing as it gave them time to take a pause in the middle of shooting, assess what they had shot so far, and have more time to analyze and better their movie.
“The impact was real,” Levy said. “For me, as the director and the producer, the multi-month pause happened right in the middle of filming. All I could do was edit and review the footage. But it taught me about my movie, and it really revealed what was working and what the movie wanted to be.”
When they returned from shooting, while Levy was in a bit of a rush to hit his 2024 release date, he moved forward confidently, knowing what had to be done.
“It really focused our work and, I think, improved our work in the second half,” Levy explained about the production restart in early 2024. “That’s not a luxury we ever get in live-action filmmaking.”
The dread “superhero fatigue” quote comes up often, but more recently in the world of Marvel films thanks to the flop of “The Marvels” last fall and the disappointing box office of “Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania.”
So, one of the concerns addressed in the interview was how Marvel Universe’s interconnectedness could complicate the story. The central plot of “Deadpool & Wolverine” centers on the Time Variance Authority (the TVA), a bureaucratic multiverse-safeguarding organization that you wouldn’t know about if you haven’t seen at least one season of Marvel Studios’ “Loki,” where the group was first introduced.
But Levy assures that audiences won’t need to do any “homework” or even need to watch any of the previous Marvel shows in order to understand and enjoy his movie.
“I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies,” Levy said.
“I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that has peak fluency in the mythology and lore of these characters and this world. But I didn’t want to presume that. This movie is built for entertainment, with no obligation to come prepared with prior research.”
Can “Deadpool & Wolverine” make audiences forget the blemish of “The Marvels” and move on to what seems to be a new and significant chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
“Audiences are hungry for a great time at the movies,” Levy said. “They want to be delighted, transported, and entertained. And when they are given that, whether it’s ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ or any number of other recent movies, they show up.” He added: “The movie is built for audience delight. I think that (they’re) in for a very fun ride.”
“Deadpool & Wolverine,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is scheduled for release on July 26. And fun fact: the latest trailer broke the record for the most F-bombs in the MCU ever—six in less than three minutes. You can only imagine how many will be in a 90-ish minute R-rated movie.