Getting Hugh Jackman to reprise his role as Wolverine in the third “Deadpool” movie had been in the works long before Ryan Reynolds made the official announcement.
In fact, Karan Soni, who plays Dopinder in all three movies, says he wasn’t shocked when Jackman joined franchise. “When we were making the second one, Ryan was plotting back then,” Soni told me Monday at the South Asians at the Oscar party on the Paramount lot. “I remember him spilling that at lunch one day that he had started a conversation with Hugh. I remember saying, ‘People are going to flip out!’ Then the studio got sold to Disney and a lot of other stuff happened. But, of course, Ryan followed through because it was dream casting.”
“Deadpool and Wolverine” marks Jackman’s return as the iconic character after he died in the 2017 film “Logan.” The Shawn Levy-directed Marvel Studios film wrapped last January in London after shooting was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. It is set for release on July 26.
Soni was very careful about spilling too much – “This new MCU version is ultra-secretive,” he said – but teased that fans will be blown away by what else is included in the film. “There are a lot of surprises,” he said, adding, “Let’s just say a lot of people traveled to London.”
Several MCU cameos have been rumored, but little has been officially revealed. PvNew confirmed in July that Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as superhero Elektra almost two decades after her character’s solo debut.
Soni also recalled seeing Jackman on set for the first time, comparing it to the first time he saw Reynolds in the Deadpool suit. “He walks in and you’re just kind of staring at the person and you’re like, ‘OK, this is a movie star.’ He’s very kind, very nice and has such a presence.”
The cast also includes Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni and Matthew Macfadyen.
The first trailer for “Deadpool and Wolverine” broke the record for the most-viewed movie trailer within 24 hours with 356 million total views after it debuted during the Super Bowl last month. The previous record holder was “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021 with 355.5 million online views.
