The Marvel Cinematic Universe is showing no signs of slowing down, thanks to projects arriving in both theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The next upcoming Marvel movie coming to the big screen is Deadpool & Wolverine, and fans are counting down the days. There's a sweet reason Ryan Reynolds wanted to add a ping-pong table to the set of Deadpool 3 (and yes, Blake Lively is involved).
What we know about Deadpool & Wolverine is limited, but fans are eager to see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman's faux feud play out in the project. It sounds like they had a ton of fun on set, including recently released photos of the Deadpool 3 cast playing ping-pong in full costume. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Reynolds revealed how his wife Blake Lively helped him bring that table to the set, as he put it:
Speaking of Blake, that’s the real reason these ping-pong photos came about. She and I have a bunch of these prints of actors playing it on their sets. We’ve got Newman and Redford in Durango, Mexico, during the shooting of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We’ve got Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda, I think in the ’30s. We have Olivia de Havilland playing ping-pong, Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman playing. Joan Crawford. So Blake sent the ping-pong table to Pinewood Studios.
How cute is that? It sounds like Reynolds wanted to follow in a grand Hollywood tradition, while also offering a way for the cast and crew of Deadpool & Wolverine to unwind while on set. And luckily he had a partner in crime with Blake Lively.
This is just the latest tale in Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's relationship, and they've got a habit for being #couplegoals. Vanity Fair's Instagram showed off photos of the ping-pong table at work, and and it's a thoroughly adorable look into the top secret set. Check it out below:
The Deadpool franchise has always been light fare for the superhero genre, thanks to its R-rating and penchant for poking fun at various cinematic universes. And one can only imagine how the close friendships shared between Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy will translate into the final product... especially after a good ping-pong game or two.
In the same interview about Deadpool 3, Shawn Levy spoke fondly about his time on set, and especially playing ping-pong with his two buddies. He appreciates having the photos of them on set, as he put it:
It’s why those ping-pong photos are our personal favorites. For the three of us, those photos are treasures. They captured the spirit of this shoot. It was very hard work, but it was fun every day because we were doing it with buddies.
Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have been patiently waiting for Deadpool to finally join the shared universe. Now it's finally happening, along with Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine. With the multiverse in play it seems like just about anything could happen, and it should be fascinating to see how the project influences future MCU projects.
Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters on July 26th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
