Hugh Jackman Reveals Deadpool 3’s Effect On Logan
Hugh Jackman says Deadpool 3 happens before Wolverine's death in Logan.
Hugh Jackman will again take up the mantle of Wolverine (a role that he previously abandoned) alongside Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 3. In an interview that aired on The Empire Film Podcast, Jackman revealed how the film would relate to the 2017 movie Logan, which ended with a touching conclusion for Jackman’s mutant character. The hosts of the podcast asked Jackman how Logan director James Mangold felt about the character’s comeback. In doing so, Hugh Jackman revealed that Deadpool 3 would take place well before the events of Logan.
“He was actually really cool about it,” Hugh Jackman said of James Mangold. “I did tell him that it took place before our movie, so I wasn’t gonna screw with the claws popping out of the grave. So he was relieved by that, and he totally got it. He thought it was a good idea.”
Hugh Jackman will find himself as part of the MCU for the first time in Deadpool 3. The film will introduce both Wolverine and the titular Deadpool to the shared Marvel universe. Previously, both characters were only in movies produced by 21st Century Fox, which was bought out by Disney in 2019.
Logan was the last time Hugh Jackman played Wolverine before Deadpool 3. The movie takes place in a future where mutants had all but been wiped off the face of the earth. Wolverine, aka Logan, finds himself caring for an elderly Professor Charles Xavier, who is suffering from dementia. Xavier had lost control of his powers, and the X-Men disbanded after Xavier had a seizure and accidentally killed several of the mutants. Logan’s own healing powers are fading, and he finds himself fighting off mutant hunters called Reavers as he attempts to protect a young mutant who has similar powers to himself.
The movie, which was loosely based on the Old Man Logan storyline from Marvel Comics, was widely praised for its thoughtful, surprisingly nuanced take on its characters. It received a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an A- CinemaScore, and a 77% on Metacritic. The movie, which cost $97 million to make, grossed $619.2 million worldwide. It even received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, though it lost out to the LGBT-themed coming-of-age romance Call Me by Your Name.
After finishing Logan, Hugh Jackman chose to abandon the role. Jackman says that he did so at the advice of comedian Jerry Seinfeld. According to Jackman, Seinfeld told him that it’s important to not “run yourself dry,” and that he needs to make sure that he still has something creative left in him when he chooses to leave the role. This inspired him to leave the role while he was arguably at the top of his game — with one of the most emotional, heartbreaking stories to ever come out of the superhero genre.
The Deadpool series, on the other hand, could not be more different from Logan. Although both movies received R ratings for their extreme violence, Deadpool is known for its humor, irreverence, and the ability of its main character to break the fourth wall — both to address the audience and to engage in jokes about the superhero genre, the actors, Hollywood, and even the movie itself. While not much is known about what role Hugh Jackman’s character will play in the upcoming movie, it’s safe to say that we won’t be getting another gut-wrenching, introspective look at the twilight days of a superhero’s career.
