Given the popularity of the comic book genre, superhero movies are everywhere. But before cinematic universes became commonplace, 20th Century Fox adapted Marvel stories for the screen with the X-Men movies. That property would go on for decades and would include a spinoff including James Mangold's Oscar nominated Logan. Hugh Jackman's final bow as Wolverine featured the debut of Dafne Keen's ferocious X-23, and now the young actress has explained why Deadpool 3 is giving her hope for another go as the character.
Logan was Hugh Jackman's final appearance as Wolverine, and was a pulled back and gritty take on the mutant property. Dafne Keen' Laura/ X-23 was a great addition to the franchise, with the actress offering a layered performance that delivered in both badassery and heart. There's been no indication as to if/when we might ever see Laura again on the big screen, especially following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. But Keen is still holding out hope, especially with Deadpool 3 remaining R-rated after the deal. As she put it,
I'm 100 percent hopeful. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high in case it doesn't happen, but I really do hope it does because I loved playing Laura. She holds a very special place in my heart and she's an incredible character. And to be fair, the whole Deadpool 3 situation really, really made me happy because, obviously when Disney bought Fox, I suspected they weren't going to do any more R-rated films, but then greenlighting Deadpool is a great sign for other R-rated movies.
The lady's got a point. Because while there's no telling if/when Disney will bring mutants like X-23 back to the big screen, the studio's plans for the future of the Deadpool franchise does offer hope. Because if the Merc with the Mouth will be able to continue his profanity-laced bloody adventures, then perhaps Laura will get the same treatment down the line.
Dafne Keen's comments to Looper (via Comic Book) are sure to be exciting for the countless moviegoers who are dying to see the return of X-23 on the big screen. The X-Men franchise as we know it ended with Dark Phoenix and New Mutants, and it's currently unclear when mutants will finally join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Deadpool 3 offers the first opportunity, and Keen is hoping Laura gets another appearance as well.
Given how deadly X-23's blades were in Logan, it would likely be a disappointment to see Dafne Keen's character return in anything other than an R-rated movie. She's got claws, and we need to be able to see them. But if Disney finds success with an R-rated Deadpool 3, then hopefully we get to see X-23 ripping through more enemies.
Unfortunately, there's little to no information regarding what's going on with Deadpool 3. Disney seemingly committed to keeping the property R-rated, but there are a ton of questions surrounding the threequel. Fans are hoping to see Ryan Reynolds' character eventually crossover into the main MCU, although his penchant for murder and cursing might cause an issue. But Reynold has been in talks with the House of Mouse, so hopefully more is revealed sooner rather than later.
Dafne Keen can currently be seen in His Dark Materials, while the MCU will continue when Black Widow hits theaters May 7th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the new year.
