Deadpool and Wolverine director says there were "early conversations" about what couldn’t be in the movie – so they wrote a joke about it

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Exclusive: Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy reveals the one thing that was off the table in the MCU movie

Deadpool & Wolverine
(Image credit: Marvel)

Deadpool & Wolverine may be Marvel Studios' first R-Rated feature, but that doesn't mean it could go all the way with some of its more risque jokes.

"I’m so wary of what I can say but certainly there were early conversations about overt drug use," director Shawn Levy tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, June 20, which features Deadpool and Wolverine on the cover. 

The solution, then, became clear: "And we thought that was an interesting conversation," Levy says. "Let’s actually write a dialogue scene about having had it."

Deadpool, ever the cheeky fourth-wall-breaking scamp, mentioned cocaine as "the one thing [Marvel Studios head] Kevin [Feige] says is off the table." It's a moment that even cropped up in a Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, as Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth chastises Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) for offering up some 'Bolivian marching powder.'

For more from our cover feature, check out what director Levy had to say about the current state of Marvel, why he's keen for a Spider-Man and Deadpool crossover, and which comic book movie Ryan Reynolds loves.

Deadpool 3 is released on July 25 in the UK and July 26 in the US. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, June 20.

Check out the covers below:

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on the cover of Total Film's Deadpool & Wolverine issue

(Image credit: Total Film/Marvel Studios/Disney)

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it's in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers. 

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(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Amazon)
Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.