Ryan Reynolds celebrated the conclusion of filming Deadpool 3 in the most Deadpool way imaginable. With a picture of his genitals. They were behind a costume, of course—but still, it’s clearly a photo of Deadpool’s junk.
“The suit hides the blood. Also sweat… But today, with Deadpool [3] wrapping, it’s mostly tears,” Reynolds posted to his social media. “A giant and forever thanks to the cast and crew of our film who battled wind, rain, strikes and [Hugh Jackman]… all under the stalwart leadership of [director Shawn Levy.] I got to make a movie with my closest pals and that doesn’t happen very often. See ya July 26th.” Along with the statement is the following image.
All joking aside, while actors don’t usually make a public fuss about finishing work on a project, it’s easy to understand Reynolds’ emotions here. And we don’t mean the tent in his costume. It’s been over five years since Deadpool 2 was released to massive success and the near-instant expectation of a follow-up. But, in that time, the studio that controlled film rights to the character, 20th Century Fox, was gobbled up by Disney.
Though fans were desperate for the return of Deadpool, the thought of Mickey Mouse releasing an R-rated Deadpool movie seemed impossible. However, over the next few years, everyone figured out a way to make that happen. Multiple writers took stabs at the story and eventually, after a very long development process, the film willed its way into production. Reynolds, a producer and writer on the franchise as well as its star, even managed to get Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine, despite the character dying in Logan.
All of which would, on its own, be a noteworthy journey to the big screen. But then the set photos came out, spoiling moments in the movie. Then, most notably, the film was forced to shut down production due to the actors’ strike. The delay pushed the film’s release back several months but once the studios came to their senses and hammered out a new deal with their actors, Reynolds was back in the red suit. All of which led to today, the end of filming.
Levy, who worked with Reynolds previously on The Adam Project and Free Guy, added his own celebratory thought. “Had the greatest time of my life shooting this movie,” he said. “Post-production starts at dawn.” Jackman also chimed in. “What a ride!!! I’ve loved every minute of making this movie,” he said. “Well, not the training and diet but the other 93.2%. To the best cast and crew, thank you! You are all aces. To two of my best mates [Ryan and Shawn]I literally couldn’t have done this without you. Literally! July 26th can’t come soon enough. Time to shave.” And when Wolverine is shaving, you know it’s done.
Rumor is, we might get our first glimpse of what they’ve got cooking on February 11 during the Super Bowl. And then it’s full steam ahead to July 26. Can you believe Deadpool 3 has finally finished? Will it live up to our wild expectations? Let us know below.
Update 1/24/24: After publication, we added in Hugh Jackman’s response.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Warsand Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TVand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
