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It's no secret that the superhero genre has become a behemoth presence in the film world. And while countless franchises have hit theaters coming from various cinematic universes, a few have risen to the top as fan favorites. Chief among them is Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, which broke new ground with an R-rated, fourth wall-breaking antihero. Deadpool 2 was another massive hit, but there's no indication as to when work on the upcoming threequel might begin. And Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is holding Marvel Studios personally responsible for this delay.
Deadpool's future in theaters became murky after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its various properties. It's currently unclear if Ryan Reynolds' murderous title character will join the MCU, or if Disney will keep him in his own separate universe. There hasn't been any news about Deadpool 3 or the X-Force movie, and Rob Liefeld believes this is due to the studio's current plans for the Marvel Shared Universe. As he put it,
I blame Marvel...blame Marvel that that hasn't happened yet. They are the reason it isn't happening. Whatever conundrum or it didn't fit into your master plan, just commission it. Okay, commission it. You know if Frank Frazetta was still around, you would say, 'Frank paint for me.'
Well, he didn't mince words. It looks like Rob Liefeld wants to see his original character return to the big screen sooner rather than later. And that's why he's seemingly frustrated with the lack of development on Deadpool 3; there haven't been any major steps forward. So Liefeld is forced to wait for an update like the rest of us.
Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox resulted in a ton of questions, especially regarding the company's comic book properties. Deadpool, the X-Men, and Fantastic Four was all previously owned by Fox, so moviegoers are eager to see if they finally appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after all these years.
Marvel fans can re-watch the MCU (sans Deadpool) on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
But it looks like Rob Liefeld isn't feeling too hopeful about the merger, and what that might mean for the Deadpool franchise. As he explained later in his conversation with Comic Book,
If Ryan is making Deadpool 3 right now, that's because Marvel hasn't allowed it to be yet and that's all I'm saying. So, do I have a lot of faith in that system? Dude, I have no idea. So this is where I'm not that, I'm not giving you the answers you want. I'm like yeah, yeah. Look if it happens, terrific.
Talk about honesty. While some movie fans are hoping that Disney's ownership of the Deadpool franchise will open new narrative doors within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rob Liefeld seems to believe that the change in leadership is actually holding the property back. Mostly because there hasn't been any news regarding when development might kick up for Deadpool 3.
The powers that be at Disney previously indicated that Deadpool 3 wouldn't make any drastic changes to the franchise regarding its content and rating. The movie would be presumably brought to theaters courtesy of the recently renamed 20th Century Pictures. But there's also been no timeline as to when the threequel will kick up production.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Deadpool as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
