Ryan Reynolds says Deadpool 3 has "pretty damn good" chance of filming next year

Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool
(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Deadpool 3 is closer to production than we expected. 

Ryan Reynolds recently dropped an Instagram tease hinting at the Merc with a Mouth's return… then swiftly deleted it. He's since confirmed the movie is likely to begin shooting in 2022. 

“The percentage chance? I don’t know. I couldn’t assign a percentage to that," he told Collider. "I’d say it’s 50/50 maybe? We’re really actively developing it and getting it into pretty good shape. What the hell month is it? August? Oh next year? Probably pretty damn good. I’d say 70%.”

The as-yet untitled sequel has no director attached, but Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux, best known as writers and executive producers Bob's Burgers, are hard at work on the script. 

Reynolds adds: “It’s something that is just a daily process. Writing is kind of like that, you’ve gotta allot time to do it and walk away, and I’m working with the Molyneuxs on it, it’s been great. They’re incredibly talented and so, so smart. They so understand that world and know how to zig when everyone’s expecting a zag, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

Deadpool's third outing wasn't always a dead cert. Disney's purchase of 20th Century Fox – Deadpool's original cinematic home – was cause for concern. Sure, Disney owns Marvel, but would the studio slot an R-rated character into its family-friendly MCU? Apparently, yes.

Earlier this year, Marvel brass Kevin Feige told the outlet: "It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan’s overseeing a script right now… It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor. We’ve got a number of things we’ve already announced that we now have to make, but it’s exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.”

Ahead of Deadpool's return to the big screen, Reynolds appears in the summer blockbuster Free Guy, currently scoring positive reviews. If you like your action in spandex, there’s still a lot of superhero movies on the way – from Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to Sony's sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Check out the rest with our guide to upcoming superhero movies.

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.