Halle Berry attends the European Gala Screening for Amazons: ‘Crime 101’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 28, 2026 in London, England. Photo: Kate Green/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Academy Award winner Halle Berry is one of the most accomplished and beloved actresses of her generation.
First appearing in supporting roles in now classic movies like ‘Jungle Fever‘, ‘The Last Boy Scout‘, and ‘Boomerang‘, Berry won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in 2001’s ‘Monster’s Ball‘, becoming the first and only Black woman to ever receive that honor from the Academy.
Not to mention starring in critically acclaimed movies like ‘Losing Isaiah‘, ‘Bulworth‘, and ‘Could Atlas‘. Her latest, the new crime thriller ‘Crime 101‘, opens in theaters on February 13th.
In honor of the new film’s release, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of Halle Berry’s long and impressive career, including her latest.
(L to R) Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organized under Xavier’s former ally, Magneto (Ian McKellen).
In this new psychological thriller/horror, as an Evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother (Berry), and her twin sons (Percy Baggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins) is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
Terrorists hijack a 747 inbound to Washington D.C., demanding the release of their imprisoned leader. Intelligence expert David Grant (Kurt Russell) suspects another reason and he is soon the reluctant member of a special assault team that is assigned to intercept the plane and hijackers.
Several players from different backgrounds try to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each deals with the pressure differently, some turn to drinking, others to drugs, and some to studying.
Jordan Turner (Berry) is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) is abducted in the back of a man’s car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.
(L to R) Halle Berry, John Travolta, Don Cheadle and Hugh Jackman in ‘Swordfish’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Rogue agent Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), a n’er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything.
Khaila Richards (Berry), a crack-addicted single mother, accidentally leaves her baby in a dumpster while high and returns the next day in a panic to find he is missing. In reality, the baby has been adopted by a warm-hearted social worker, Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange), and her husband, Charles (David Strathaim). Years later, Khaila has gone through rehab and holds a steady job. After learning that her child is still alive, she challenges Margaret for the custody.
A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician (Warren Beatty) puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture.
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods as they join forces with their younger selves in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
(L to R) Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry star in ‘Crime 101’. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, ‘Crime 101’ weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway have mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime, his path crosses that of a disillusioned insurance broker (Berry) who is facing her own crossroads. Convinced he has found a pattern, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in, raising the stakes even higher. As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices–and the realization that there can be no turning back.
Marcus (Eddie Murphy) is a successful advertising executive who woos and beds women almost at will. After a company merger he finds that his new boss, the ravishing Jacqueline (Robin Givens), is treating him in exactly the same way. Completely traumatized by this, his work goes badly downhill.
Two mutants, Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
When an attack on the Kingsman headquarters takes place and a new villain rises (Julianne Moore), Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) are forced to work together with the American agency known as the Statesman to save the world.
When the girl (Berry) that detective Joe Hallenback (Bruce Willis) is protecting gets murdered, the boyfriend (Damon Wayans) of the murdered girl attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.
(L to R) Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry in ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Super-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.
A successful and married black man (Wesley Snipes) contemplates having an affair with a white girl (Annabella Sciorra) from work. He’s quite rightly worried that the racial difference would make an already taboo relationship even worse.
Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker (Brian Cox). Storm (Berry), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) must join their usual nemeses—Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn)—to unhinge Stryker’s scheme to exterminate all mutants.
(L to R) Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in ‘Cloud Atlas’. Photo: Warner Bros.
A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. ‘Cloud Atlas’ explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Jake Schreier about the ‘Thunderbolts*’ digital release and his work on the film. The director discussed his initial pitch to Marvel, selecting the characters, the asterisk in the title, the ‘New Avengers’ reveal, the ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ cameo in the second end credit scene, deleted scenes, and Florence Pugh’s opening scene stunt, as well as addressing the rumors that he will direct the MCU’s upcoming new ‘X-Men’ movie.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
‘Thunderbolts*’ director Jake Schreier.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first meeting with Marvel Studios and the pitch that got you the job directing ‘Thunderbolts*’?
Jake Schreier: Well, know the pitching process at Marvel takes a long time. I think there were maybe seven meetings over the course of seven months. So, the first meeting was just me talking to Brian Chapek and just having a very loose conversation about the idea for the movie, which I thought was neat. Eric Pearson and he had come up with this great setup where it was about a set of contract killers being sent to kill each other and to be disposed as opposed to being put together in some sort of team, which was a neat slip on the expectation. I just talked about my favorite movies that related to that and that sense of tension and what you would want to bring to a movie like that. Then the conversation grew month after month. Each time I would bring something a little bit new. I like to pitch on things, show people, if we were already making the movie together, this is the sort of stuff that I would start doing. I think the second one is that I did make a kind of reference reel of movies. Not that the movie should be like this movie, but these are kind of moments of tension within other movies about groups of people that don’t trust each other, and how important that was to what we were building here. I think that included ‘Ronin’, and it included ‘Toy Story 3’, a very disparate group of movies and ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’, all kinds of different stuff. Then at subsequent meetings, there was concept art for what the void could look like, and then a storyboard in certain sequences from the film. We had talked about the elevator sequence, this funny idea of if it was all about trust or a trust fall, if they must climb up back-to-back, which is an idea that Brian had, that was fun. I took that and storyboarded it just to show what that might feel like. So yeah, it was more of a long beat by beat process. I think, one thing about working at Marvel was, Kevin (Feige) always says, “Always be fussing.” The movie is never really done until they kind of pry it out of your hands and you must release it. You’re always looking to improve it. So, to some degree, it’s not so much about the specific pitch or everything kept changing after I came on board, but it’s about will this work out as a working relationship? Are the ideas flowing and will you push each other to make it better? It felt like Brian, and I worked so well together in this movie, and that felt like a really strong core to build from.
MF: Was the core cast of characters already selected when you came on board and were there characters you wanted to include but were unable to?
JS: They were mostly chosen. I attempted to give input, which was quickly shot down, which I think on the first one I was like, “What if Man-Thing was involved,” which has now been picked up by the internet as though that was ever going to happen, which it wasn’t. They quickly and politely were like, “He was in ‘Werewolf by Night’, which I didn’t know. So that didn’t happen. But then I think before I came on board, they added Robert Reynolds to the mix. That was the biggest change. Then once that was part of it, I mean even in our pitch conversation, everything really ran towards thinking about what it meant to have a character like Sentry and the Void in this movie, and how that tied into Yelena and what she’s going through, and how important that was to build that kind of connection and have that drive the story.
‘Thunderbolts*’ is available on digital now and 4K and Blu-ray on July 29th.
MF: Was the asterisk in the title your idea, and at what point was it decided that the team would really become the ‘New Avengers’?
JS: So, they were always introduced as the New Avengers. Even in the first draft that I read before I came on board. I did pitch the asterisk thing. I think in my last pitch meeting before I got the movie, but I did not expect it to be in the actual title. I thought, “Oh, maybe there could be a billboard somewhere with an asterisk, and they’ll say, “Until we come up with something better.” But yeah, I mean that was the fun thing about working with those guys, and everyone in marketing. They’re very open and collaborative, and they would take ideas like that and really run with them and put their own spin on it. There was just a lot of openness on this movie, I think, to kind of take risks and try to do something different.
MF: So, this was always going to be a ‘New Avengers’ movie, is that right?
JS: Yes, it was always ended. That moment was always baked in. I mean, at least from the time I met on it, that was always where the story landed.
MF: Did you feel added pressure knowing that this was secretly an ‘Avengers’ movie?
JS: I mean, look, there’s enough pressure on these movies no matter what you’re doing. I think obviously it meant that we felt we had to build a story that at one time was this kind of very different story within the MCU about different characters, but it did need in its own way to live up. It was never going to be at the scale of a normal ‘Avengers’ film. But to the legacy of these kinds of great movies that had been made in the MCU, that when you get to that moment, even if it’s through a route that you never expected, you can kind of splint. Even if at first, you’re like, “Wait, what?” You kind of think about it and you’re like, “Okay, no, maybe this could work.” Or at least I want to see them try and see what happens going forward.
MF: Can you talk about the second end-credit scene that teases ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’? What was your involvement in that scene and when and where was it shot?
JS: That was late. I mean, I was there, I went to London. So that’s on the set, I think of the new ‘Avengers’ movie (‘Avengers: Doomsday’) that the Russo’s are directing. I think that might’ve been, it was one of the first scenes they shot for it. So, the idea was going to be part of that movie, and then also our end credits scene. So, there were things that it kind of had to do for where our story went, but we also wanted it in a way to be this handoff. It was fun to watch them directed and directed in that context and have it been this sort of, leap of seeing. I think Florence said it was like “Being dropped off at school by your parent, and you look back and like, all right, we’ll have fun guys. Good luck out there. You’re in a new grade now.” So yeah, it was just fun to have everyone kind of collaborate on that and get to see them take that next step on their next journey.
MF: Will there be deleted scenes available on the digital and home entertainment releases, and if so, can you talk about why those scenes were ultimately cut?
JS: Yes. I mean, I must be honest, there’s not a lot that was left on the cutting room floor of this movie. There are little things that got cut out. In the edit, we trimmed things down, but it was more really kind of honing the scenes than it was dropping a lot of full scenes. At first, I was like, “I don’t want any deleted scenes.” Then they were like, “You have to have a few.” So, I put them in there. What I can say is that there’s a very extensive behind the scenes featurette, and a very funny gag reel, which mostly is just cute. But I think the behind-the-scenes stuff, again, we did so much practically on this movie and in camera, and practical effects and returning to this old school style of filmmaking. I think I had a lot of fun, and they really did a great job of capturing that stuff, getting to watch the way those things were put together. I think, again, it’s just a testament to how hard everyone works on these movies, and I think that is fun to see.
MF: I understand that Florence Pugh insisted on doing the stunt in the opening scene where she jumps off a skyscraper herself. Can you talk about working with her and the stunt team to make that possible?
JS: I mean, we had this idea for it, Lee Sung Jin, who wrote multiple drafts of the script, had written in this stunt. That was sort of our version of a Bond opening, but it’s more of an emotional stunt, in a way, where it’s like, it almost seems like it could be a suicide. Then it’s just her kind of malaise in her job, but it takes you into this real character beat that then becomes an action sequence. But again, it’s our spin on it, because it’s what the depressed spy would do. So, I think what was exciting about it was obviously the stunt itself and going somewhere and really doing something like that, because it’s Florence having this great acting beat at the start of that shot. In the same take, we watch her step off the second-tallest building in the world. So, she had to take that on because we can’t really ask her to do that. We could say it was an idea we had. We didn’t even know we were going to shoot it. She was like, “I love heights. Let’s do it.” So, through the whole production, it was kind of finding a place that would make sense. Then, Malaysia seemed promising, but Jason Tamez, our incredible line producer, had to do months of work to coordinate getting up there. Then I think it took three different engineering firms to sign off on the rig, and (Stunt Coordinator) Michael Huggins and our entire rigging team. I mean, the amount of trust that Florence had to have in our team, and you can see how much she trusts them. They are the best at what they do. I can’t believe she did that. Florence is amazing, but also the amount of coordination and work that it takes from everyone else involved to pull something like that off and to be able to stand by it and say, “We could do this.” Because again, at first, Disney Health and Safety quite reasonably just said, “No.” So, it took a lot of pushing and a lot of groundwork on everyone’s part to make it happen.
MF: Finally, there have been several online rumors recently that you will be directing the upcoming ‘X-Men’ movie that Marvel Studios is planning for after ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. Without confirming the rumors, do you have a particular take on those characters and is that a world you would be interested in exploring as a director if given the chance?
JS: I think just knowing the way the internet works, for right now, if it’s okay, I’m going to plead the fifth on that question. But I can say that I would be very excited. I had a great time working at Marvel, and I’d be very excited to work with them again.
A group of dangerous, unstable antiheroes and castoffs are set up on a doomed mission by a government operative (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), only to find themselves confronting a powerful new menace that threatens Earth.
Marvel says Sam Wilson will assemble his Avengers team off screen before ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Who will Sam Wilson recruit for his new team?
SPOILER ALERT: Some spoilers for ‘Thunderbolts*’ and possibly ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ below.
Back in April, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced at CinemaCon that the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ “will focus on The Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts and original X-Men all fighting Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.).”
That’s quite a promise! But now that ‘Thunderbolts*’ has been released in theaters, fans have learned that they are really the New Avengers, and the movie’s end-credit scene reveals that Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has filed a copyright claim against the team for the rights to the name and is putting together his own group of Avengers.
Marvel has recently announced that Wilson will assemble his Avengers off screen, so the real question is who will be on his team in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’? Luckily, Marvel has also released many of the names of ‘Doomsday’s cast in a recent video stunt, which could, by process of elimination, give us a basic idea of who will be on Wilson’s team.
With other new and returning cast members yet to be announced, Moviefone is breaking down the cast list to guess who could be on Sam Wilson’s Avengers team.
‘Thunderbolts*’ is now titled ‘The New Avengers’ and is currently playing in theaters. Photo: Marvel Studios.
The end of the ‘Thunderbolts*’ sees Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine saving public face by holding a press conference and announcing that Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bob Reynolds/Sentry (Lewis Pullman) are the New Avengers.
With Pugh, Stan, Russell, John-Kamen, Harbour, and Pullman all confirmed to return for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, it is now clear that they will be referred to as the New Avengers and not the Thunderbolts, nor will they be members of the team Sam Wilson is recruiting. In fact, it was also recently revealed that the ‘Thunderbolts*’ end-credit scene setting up the Fantastic Four’s MCU arrival was shot on the set of the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ by directors Anthony and Joe Russo.
Which ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ characters could be on Sam Wilson’s Avengers team?
Chris Hemsworth in ‘Thor: The Dark World’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Now that we know the Thunderbolts are the New Avengers, and assuming none of them will crossover to Sam’s new team, it’s not hard to have an idea who might be recruited by the new Captain America for his Avengers team.
We can also eliminate the cast of ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and the returning ‘X-Men’ actors, as one would assume that they will be on their own teams and not Sam’s. It is possible that Channing Tatum‘s Gambit could crossover, since he was not an “original” X-men from the previous films, but I think he will most likely be on the Mutants’ side, especially because the character has no ties to the Avengers in the comics.
As a founding member of the original Avengers, it makes sense that Chris Hemsworth’s Thor would be a member of Sam’s new team. Sam partied with him at Avengers Tower in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, and even fought side by side against Thanos with Thor in Wakanda during ‘Infinity War’. We also know that Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres/Falcon was asked to join the team by Sam during the events of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’, so it’s safe to say that you can expect to see him fighting as a member of Sam’s new team in ‘Doomsday’.
Besides Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes, Paul Rudd‘s Scott Lang/Ant-Man is probably the Avenger that Sam is closest to in the MCU having appeared in 2015’s ‘Ant-Man’ and helping to recruit him for Captain America’s team in ‘Captain America: Civil War’. So, it would also make sense for Scott to join Sam’s team. Sam also has close ties to Wakanda, with Shuri (Letitia Wright) helping to create his Captain America suit and wings. Now that she is the new Black Panther, I also assume she will be on the new team as well.
Actor Winston Duke has been confirmed to return for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ as M’Baku, and while it is possible for him to be recruited for Sam’s team along with Shuri, Feige’s CinemaCon comment mentions “Wakandans fighting against Doctor Doom”, which makes me think he will be leading the Wakandans and not joining Sam’s team.
Having been introduced in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, and having a close connection to Shuri, I would also bet that Tenoch Huerta Mejia’s Namor will appear on Sam’s new team. Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, who was introduced in his own 2021 movie will most likely join the team as well. The end-credit scene for that movie saw the character being recruited for the Avengers by Wong (Benedict Wong), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), making his inclusion almost a forgone conclusion.
Of the announced cast, that just leaves Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, but given how his character’s arc ends in season 2 of Disney+’s ‘Loki’, I’m guessing he won’t be a member of Sam’s team and instead saved for a different role in the movie.
Who could be on Sam Wilson’s Avengers team that has not been announced yet for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
(L to R) Charlize Theron and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
There have been rumors that Wong, who is now the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange’s absence, could appear in the movie. Rumors have also swirled around the eventual return of Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner/Hulk, and with their inclusion in the ‘Shang-Chi’ end credit scene, if they are added to the cast, all three characters could align themselves with Sam Wilson and his new team of Avengers.
There have also been rumors of Benedict Cumberbatch and Charlize Theron returning as Doctor Strange and Clea, respectively, both last seen in 2022’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. But, with Wong being the new Sorcerer Supreme, I doubt Strange and Clea will join Sam’s team, and more likely, just like Loki, would have a different role in the plot of the film.
Finally, there have also been rumors about Jeremy Renner’s return as Hawkeye, and Tom Holland’s return as Spider-Man. But we’ve also heard that Holland’s character may sit out ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, next appearing in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ before returning for ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’.
And with Renner’s recent admission that he declined returning for ‘Hawkeye’ season 2 due to having his salary cut in half by Marvel, his return to the franchise is completely up in the air. Even if he does return, Renner could be playing a multiverse version of his character and therefore not be joining Sam’s new team.
Marvel is planning to have ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ on screens on May 1st, 2026, followed by ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ on May 7th, 2027.
aulDnGXPFkuVgP2q8dOyT6
What is the plot of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
Fourteen months after the events of ‘Thunderbolts*’, the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the “original” X-Men team up to face Doctor Doom.
Director Jake Schreier is in early talks for Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ movie.
Neither Marvel nor Disney will comment.
Michael Lesslie wrote the script.
No matter whether you’re sticking with calling it ‘Thunderbolts*’ or have followed Marvel’s switch to –– spoiler alert for the three people living in remote locations who haven’t learned the news –– ‘The New Avengers,’ the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is a hit.
ySD9fRBhzaiO2TcznWDp2
‘ThunderNewVengers’ (we just came up with it, have Marvel call us if they’re interested in adopting it for a modest fee) garnered the best reviews since movies such as ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and did a lot to win over fans who have been worried that the Marvel behemoth may have seriously lost its way.
It opened top of the domestic box office last week with $74 million, and made more than $160 million worldwide. Parent company Disney is hoping for a strong hold for its second weekend, and is now making moves to stay in business with one of the people responsible.
Director Jake Schreier, who oversaw the new movie, is, via Deadline’s sources, in talks to direct one of the more anticipated future films from Marvel’s stable.
Yes, Schreier, assuming he makes a deal, would be bringing the mutant team known as the X-Men formally to the MCU.
The trade site cautions that the process is still at a crucially early stage, but Schreier, who previously worked on the likes of Netflix series ‘Beef’ and movies including ‘Robot & Frank’ and ‘Paper Towns’, has reportedly been passing on other work so as to keep himself available for the prime mutant gig.
Marvel apparently formed a solid, positive working relationship with the filmmaker –– who weathered strike delays and other challenges –– and he’s now in line to potentially be a trusted pair of hands for the MCU.
Lesslie has been in demand by studios of late, also being among the writers on the third instalment of the ‘Now You See Me’ franchise.
We don’t expect Lesslie to be the final writer on this movie, either –– Marvel is infamous for bringing in other scribes and teams to punch up their projects. But he’s still listed for now.
And, of course, Kevin Feige, the boss of Marvel Studios, is aboard as producer. Having gotten his career start working on the 20th Century Fox ‘X-Men’ movies, we know he’ll be closely involved in shepherding the mutants to the MCU.
What will the story of the new ‘X-Men’ movie be?
Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Somewhat naturally, Marvel has been keeping things very quiet as to the plot for the movie. We don’t even know which characters will be spotlighted. Though the likes of the Fox movies usually focused on the likes of Professor Charles Xavier, Erik “Magneto” Lensherr, Beast, Rogue and Wolverine, there has been plenty of speculation as to who might lead off the new movie, including talk of female leads.
We don’t, however, expect them to stick around as the “official” Marvel on-screen X-Men, and Schreier (or whoever ends up in the director’s chair) will be looking for the cast to play updated versions. Oh, what a tangled web the multiverse has weaved.
Let’s not also forget the huge success of animated series ‘X-Men ’97,’ and, of course, last year’s giant hit ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ which poked some fun at the Fox run and also served as a warm wrap-up for it.
When will the new ‘X-Men’ movie hit screens?
As with the other elements, Feige and Marvel are taking their time with this one.
No official announcement has been made as to a date, but if Schreier signs, and some casting falls into place, we could learn more at this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con.
Disney and Marvel’s release calendar is fairly full for the next couple of years, but we could see an X-Men outing potentially arriving in the wake of ‘Secret Wars.’
(L to R) Haley Berry and Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Ryan Reynolds is working on ideas for a new ‘Deadpool’ movie.
He’s looking into teaming the character up with the X-Men.
There’s no word on what might happen with the movie.
With last year’s smash success ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’Ryan Reynolds leapfrogged into the position of being among the most valuable performers –– and creators –– among the Marvel ranks.
FW15JuJGFTtwqnkn4XqPf5
But since that movie’s release (which earned more than $1.33 billion worldwide), Reynolds has largely been playing coy about future plans for masked nuisance Wade Wilson. Neither he nor Marvel has confirmed whether he’ll show up in either of the two new team-up movies (those would be ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ which recently confirmed the first part of its sprawling cast) and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’
He’s also been stepping back from the acting side of his career in the last few months, with word that he’s juggling several writing projects, including a comedy about a reforming boyband (more on that below) that could see him reunite with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ co-star Hugh Jackman and director Shawn Levy.
Still, the Deadpool whispers continue, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Reynolds is working on various treatments for an ensemble film featuring three or four X-Men characters. Deadpool would of course appear, but perhaps only as a supporting player.
The actor/writer/producer is said to believe that keeping his f-bomb wielding anti-hero more on the sidelines could allow for the X-Men characters to be used in unexpected ways. Reynolds has been open about every Deadpool movie needing a strong reason to exist, and it’s possible this could provide the avenue he needs.
Ryan Reynolds attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Right now, it’s all just noodling, Reynolds figuring out what he wants to do without directly involving Disney and Marvel (though you know both companies will be interested to see what he comes up with).
And he’s said that he doesn’t intend to have Deadpool really find a place amongst the likes of the Avengers for storytelling reasons.
“I like that he’s isolated. If Deadpool becomes an Avenger or an X-Man, we’re at the end. That’s his wish fulfillment, and you can’t give him that.”
Not to mention that Marvel is already exploring its own X-Men future, with ‘Hunger Games’ prequel writer Michael Lesslie at work on a script for the mutant heroes.
Chances are we’ll have to wait a while to see what Reynolds comes up with –– he prefers to take his time honing his treatments, and went through several different variations of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at the early stage before it evolved into its final form (and that was partly thanks to Jackman’s decision to come back to the role of Logan/Wolverine).
(L to R) Hugh Jackman, Shawn Levy, and Ryan Reynolds attend ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix.
The other big project Reynolds is scripting at the moment is tentatively titled ‘Boy Band.’
Right now, much of the movie is a mystery –– we don’t know exactly what aspect of the boy band life would be featured.
But given that Reynolds is looking to reunite with his friend and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ co-star Jackman on the new movie, we can imagine something catching up with the former members of a boy band group who have since gone their separate ways.
The Netflix TV series ‘Girls5Eva’ covers similar territory, albeit from the point of view of a girl group.
“I’m on a second draft. The first draft was incredible and written by one of my favorite writers, Jesse Andrews [‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’]. Now I’m on my lonesome. There are no dates or anything just yet. I’m not filming anything for at least a year. This feels like it needs to have an extremely modest budget, and one that wouldn’t be all about going to pay above-the-line actors. Shawn, Hugh and I are open to creative ways to make this movie at an absolute bargain.”
And this was his quote about the trouble with boy bands:
“A lot of members of boy bands — and there are a lot of them — had managers who left them high and dry. They experienced levels of fame that would be very difficult for anyone to navigate, let alone an adolescent, when you are farming out your self-worth to an audience of screaming people. It creates a kind of arrested cultural development. They’re forever associated with that period of time in their lives. This would be about people in their 40s and 50s trying to get their lives back. I think there is something beautiful about that. The north star for me as a producer is joy. I feel like cynicism is a contracting industry and doesn’t have a great shelf life.”
When might we see a Deadpool/X-Men team-up movie on screens?
(L to R) Hugh Jackman, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, Dafne Keen, Ryan Reynolds and Jennifer Garner in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
This concept would likely be a few years away if it actually happens –– not only does Reynolds have to commit to a treatment and write (or co-write) it, but there’s also the matter of Marvel approving it and then finding space on its busy release schedule to get it into theaters.
Of course, Reynolds has a lot of sway after the success of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ but the next couple of years alone are packed with planned movies, not to mention that while his most recent film had nods to the X-Men, the Marvel brass is also planning its own use of the classic characters in ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ now filming. And the company is also putting the pieces in place for a rebooted mutant team in the future.
While Marvel usually prefers to keep its secrets close (at least, closer than the current government seems to manage), there is also the conflicting compulsion to promote the next movie in its sprawling cinematic universe, ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘.
aulDnGXPFkuVgP2q8dOyT6
We’ve known for a while that the Avengers will be back to face the threat of Victor Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), but the rest of the cast was largely in the realm of speculation, even for those who have been part of the MCU family for years.
The company used a livestream to confirm who will show up in the new movie, consisting of footage of the backs of director’s chairs featuring the cast names.
We’re happy to see Simu Liu will return as Shang-Chi, a character who really has deserved a sequel before now. And Danny Ramirez, who was introduced as Joaquim Torres in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and reprised the role in February’s ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ will show up as the new Falcon.
Any surprises? We’re not sure we predicted Tenoch Huerta Mejia –– who played Namor in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ coming back, but his chair is among the others (not dripping with water –– missed joke opportunity there!).
(L to R) Lashana Lynch and Kelsey Grammer in ‘The Marvels’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Lewis Pullman, who is introduced as a character called “Bob” (but who has since been revealed to be powerful character Sentry) in ‘Thunderbolts*’ is also listed. So we’re guessing his character –– who also appears to be an antagonist in the movie given the new trailer –– factors in somehow.
Last, but by no means least, the doors to the cavernous soundstage holding all the chairs opens up, and in strides Downey Jr., who sits in his own named chair and puts his finger to his lips. It’s over!
We’re sure there will be other announcements to come –– the company loves to hold back cameos and other roles, so we’ll have to wait and see if Tom Holland or Mark Ruffalo spoil the appearances or if an official press release arrives in due time.
If you’re desperate to see the Livestream, please click on the video player at the top of the page.
The new movie is now kicking off shooting in London, with Marvel veteran directors Joe and Anthony Russo –– who count the giant two previous Avengers outings ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ on their shared resume –– back marshalling the chaos that is a team-up movie on this scale.
“We’re very close with Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito, Marvel Studios’ Co-President] and the entire Marvel team and we’ve had conversations through the years. We’ve talked about a lot of ideas. Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon a [‘Secret Wars’] idea that activated all of us, you couldn’t see it coming until it came, and once it came it was like, ‘Well, that’s a story we need to tell.’”
And that creative spark extended to regular collaborator Stephen McFeely, who is also back writing the new movies.
While other co-writer Christopher Markus is so far sticking with the Russos’ AGBO company to keep it running, McFeely was tempted back into the MCU machine.
Here’s what Joe told Empire:
“There were ideas that we were trying to wrap our heads around that preceded this one, and we just never found the story. I remember calling Steve and said, ‘Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do Secret Wars?’ He was like, ‘F*** no. Absolutely not.’ And then he hung up. And the next morning at 7.30 he called and were like, ‘Alright, I have an idea…’ ”
‘Avengers: Doomsday’: The Russos talk Robert Downey Jr.
Of course, one of the biggest plot elements for the new movies has already been revealed on Marvel’s terms, with Robert Downey Jr. taking the stage at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con to confirm he’s playing Victor Von Doom.
And according to the directors he’s very involved in helping to shape the character.
“It’s a very intense process developing the character. He’s so immersed in it. He is so dialed in. That’s the kind of artist he is. That’s the kind of actor he is. He just loves really rich three-dimensional characters and I think he sees a real opportunity here with that character.”
And following ‘Doomsday,’ we’ll see ‘Secret Wars’…
‘Secret Wars’ would draw from (through the usual Marvel movie filter where changes will be made) a pair of 1980s comic book series focused on an all-powerful antagonist known as the Beyonder, who in the first installment pitted Marvel’s heroes and villains against each other on a planet known as Battleworld.
In a 2015 revival by Jonathan Hickman, the resulting conflict left the multiverse collapsed, the survivors living on a single planet ruled by classic villain Doctor Doom.
The Russos have previously talked about their enthusiasm for ‘Secret Wars,’ so this one made sense.
When will the next two ‘Avengers’ movies head to screens?
Marvel is planning to have ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ on screens on May 1st, 2026, followed by ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ on May 7th, 2027.
(L to R) Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star in ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
Kevin Feige confirmed the Fantastic Four as appearing in the next ‘Avengers’ movies.
Their stand-alone new movie is about to wrap shooting.
The studio head also offered an update on the use of X-Men characters going forward.
With the huge theatrical success of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and the buzzy Disney+ hit ‘Agatha All Along,’ Marvel Studios finds itself in a better place heading in 2025 than at almost any point in its turbulent time since ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
And, looking to assure fans (not to mention his Disney paymasters), Marvel boss Kevin Feige offered an upbeat tone at the recent Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, talking up things to come.
While he didn’t announce anything new, he did confirm a few details and offered some updates about when we can expect to see the likes of the X-Men characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That movie is due next summer (July 25th, to be exact) and Feige, sporting a cap bearing the characters’ iconic logo, talked it up as the movie he’s most excited about for 2025.
Here’s what he said about their movie and beyond, via Deadline:
“They wrap next week, the movie comes out next summer, and then all those characters go right into the next Avengers movies, so I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four.”
Yes, the new reboot will indeed usher the characters into the wider MCU, and they’ll be facing one of their biggest antagonists, Dr. Doom (played by Robert Downey Jr., no less) in ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ They’ll also be seen in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ with both movies directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and landing in 2026 and 2027.
Feige talks the X-Men
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
With Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox in 2019, the opportunity arose not only to use the Fantastic Four, but also the sprawling universe of X-Men characters. We’ve seen alternate universe versions in a couple of movies (and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ served as a wry, loving tribute to Fox’s X-Movies and more), but according to Feige, we can expect to see more mutants in the future.
This was his comment:
“I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize. Right after that, the whole story of ‘Secret Wars’ really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, it’s one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”
But let’s not forget ‘Thunderbolts*’ which lands on May 2nd, 2025. Feige also took a moment to acknowledge their appeal:
“That’s what Marvel is all about: it’s taking characters from all different types of places and franchises and putting them together. That’s what the ‘Avengers’ is, that’s what ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is.”
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking exclusively with editors Shane Reid (‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’) and Emmy-winner Dean Zimmerman (‘Stranger Things’) about their work on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, working with Shawn Levy, how they got involved in the project, making an MCU movie, creating a love letter to the Marvel Fox movies, the addition of pre-MCU characters like Blade and Elektra, Madonna’s editorial note, and cutting the Void and van fight sequences.
SPOILER ALERT!!! Major spoilers for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ below. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!
Moviefone: To begin with, Dean, you’ve worked with director Shawn Levy for a long time. What was your reaction when you heard that not only would you be working on a ‘Deadpool’ movie, but that Hugh Jackman was returning as Wolverine and that the film would take place in the MCU?
Dean Zimmerman: Here’s the ironic thing about this whole thing. The movie was dead. Ryan couldn’t crack the script. Shawn was attached, obviously, they were trying to come up with an idea. It wasn’t working. I was literally in the Hamptons cutting in a house that we were renting. He had a meeting with Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito at 2pm that day. We were literally cutting in the morning. He gets a call at 11am from Ryan Reynolds and says, “Hugh Jackman just called me and wants in.” Like that morning! So, the meeting was going to be, “Guys, we’re passing. We can’t crack it. We’re done. We’re not going to do the movie. We’ll come back to it later in time.” To, “We’ve got Hugh Jackman on board who’s going to put on the suit and be Wolverine. Does that work for you guys?” That’s literally how the meeting went. It was the craziest. It happened instantaneous, literally the moment Hugh said he was in. It was like someone lit a candle on a rocket. We were shooting within months of that. That’s how fast it all came together. The script essentially wrote itself. The fact that I was going to be doing this was … because there was such a lead up to doing this. It was like, “Oh, wait. We’re not going to do it.” So, the letdown was just dreadful and cutting with Shawn on this other thing, I was like, “Such a bummer. What are we going to do next?” The fact that that happened that day, the day I’ll never forget the rest of my life. I’ll always remember where I was and exactly what I was doing when that call came in. Obviously, it’s changed all of us. I got to meet Shane, which is now, he’s a lifelong brother and partner now. There are so many great things that happened, but at the end of the day, we told a great story, and we made a great movie. It’s what Shawn and I have been doing for 22-years and we’re going to continue to keep doing so.
MF: Shane, how did you get involved with this project and teaming up with Shawn and Dean?
Shane Reid: I hit the lottery in life, and I met Blake Lively doing a music video with her that she directed for Taylor Swift. She was a very fast friend and a fast creative partner, a wonderful person, and so generous. I got so lucky because Ryan and her are so involved in the work that they do with each other that I just got through proximity to get to know Ryan. I’d be cutting that video and then Ryan would be sending me a text message, like, “You’re the nicest guy in the world and I can’t believe what you’re doing. This was so awesome and she’s so happy.” It was like you’re all of a sudden involved in this relationship with the two of them and they’re such creative supporters of each other that when Ryan announced ‘Deadpool’ was going to happen, I was just like, “This is insane, but I’m going to ask Blake if she feels like there’s any position that I could have on this movie and if there isn’t, I get it.” It’s a big ask. I started talking to her and it was a little almost quiet for a minute. Then I didn’t realize that she was selling me through to Shawn and selling me through to Ryan and just really telling these guys, “This guy’s special. He is right up the alley of the creative collaboration that you and Dean and Ryan have assembled and is going to fit in with that and is going to bring you some ideas.” She was just such an unbelievable force in that way. So, I took a meeting with Shawn, took meetings with Dean and I think there was a little bit of a like, “Let’s just see how this goes.” I would say that the toughest thing for me going into the film and still the toughest thing to the end of it was that Dean and Shawn have this couple decade long relationship. When I first saw them on set together, I was like, “Oh, my god. These guys feel like they’re godfather and godson or something. They’re so tight and close and how do I possibly enter that and be respectful, additive, and someone who doesn’t become obtrusive or in their way?” Also, because I have a relationship with Ryan, how do I not show him stuff and respect Shawn’s position? It was a dance that was difficult, at first. They were so welcoming and warm and very much like, “Hey, man, you fly, and you do your thing, and we’ll see where this all fits.” It was just my luck that it all worked so well, and that Dean was such a generous person and Shawn a generous person and also people that expected a high threshold of turnaround and talent. I feel very fortunate to have met the requirements and now we’re all like a group of brothers.
MF: Dean, you spent a large part of your career working on the 20th Century Fox lot editing movies for that studio. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is very much a love letter to that company and particularly the Marvel movies that they made. Given that, how did it feel to work on this movie, and can you talk about the Fox outtakes sizzle reel that plays during the end credits?
DZ: So that was an idea that was spawned by Ryan. He wanted to do a love letter to Fox to thank them for all the opportunities that they gave him. Shane cut that. It was kind of all hands-on deck at 21 Laps. Shawn’s company sent us a zillion YouTube clips of behind-the-scenes footage, and poor Shane poured through hours and hours of footage to make this legacy reel. We had a song that we wanted to use, the Green Day song. So that was all done, but it was all spawned from Ryan’s appreciation and love of Fox. But for me, personally, it was the culmination of a legacy that no longer exists. It’s kind of a shell of what it used to be. When I saw it, it was very moving and very powerful. I knew even if people didn’t understand what was happening, they could appreciate what it was. Right? Which are these years of this iconic studio pushing out some of the biggest titles in the world. To be in the MCU and our first time working at Marvel and Disney, their not only willingness to be open to something like this, but their enthusiasm and support behind it all is really what made the whole experience even more special because it felt like we were going back home. Right? I felt like I was back on the Fox lot because they really embraced the same qualities and uniqueness that existed at Fox for so many of my early years. So, it was great, and it was fun. I hope for a long career at Marvel. I love them. I think they’re great. Again, the support they gave us on not only just that part of it, but the whole movie in general is what made this thing so special and unique.
The cast of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Photo: Marvel Studios.
MF: Okay, let’s talk spoilers! Shane, what was it like editing the scenes with pre-MCU actors and characters, and which one surprised you the most and was your favorite?
SR: It’s hard to say which one is my favorite. They’re all so my favorite, but I think one of the things that Dean and I have not really talked about is what we all did with Chris Evans coming out as Cap, and then turning it into Johnny Storm, which was always one of our favorite surprises. In the boards, we had a little bit of an idea of how that sequence would end with Pyro (Aaron Stanford) extinguishing his flame, but we all built him hitting the tower and falling in post. It was a collaboration between the four of us and our pre-viz team and our visual effects team where we were like, there’s this tower just sitting here and there’s such a funny way to utilize it. So, it became about how do we have one of the biggest characters in movies, but completely flip the script on who he is and what the expectation of that character is by bringing back this other character and then just humiliating him in a very Deadpool way and leaving him as this broken person on the floor that they go, “We don’t even know who that dude was.” It was such a microcosm of what it’s like to be in a ‘Deadpool’ movie and how the characters are treated differently. I think it’s my favorite because Chris was so fun and funny. I think I was saying to people who love Chris as Cap, which there are quite a few, and he has had all these great sequences where he’s very serious and quite earnest, but now they get to add to their lexicon, a moment where he is having fun and in on the joke with everybody. So, we constructed that scene. I had found a YouTube videos of a drunk woman on her husband’s shoulders at a wedding who fell off and she sort of scorpions on the ground, and it was so brutal. We’re like, “Let’s do this to him at the end.” So, we built that from pre-vis, we would record a bunch of scripts on top of it, all the way to finishing it through in visual effects. So, that might be my favorite of all of them.
Channing Tatum as Gambit in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
MF: Dean, which surprise appearance was your favorite?
DZ: I will say Gambit, Channing’s character. Just because I really hadn’t known much of him, but that character I loved every second, every word it was amazing. The fact that Ryan just can’t understand him is I just thought brilliant and the casting was amazing. Channing just killed it. It was great.
Wesley Snipes in 1998’s ‘Blade’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
MF: Dean, what was it like seeing Wesley Snipes return as Blade and have a chance to shape his performance?
DZ: It was as rewarding as anything could be because obviously his movies I was watching as a kid, right? Now being able to cut something that he would be in was awesome. Just the presence and the power of his character. By the way, he’s such a sweetheart. In real life, you’re meeting your heroes. These are the guys, and you know how sometimes people are like, “You don’t want to meet your heroes because sometimes they’re not who you expect them to be.” You just can’t say that to anyone in this crew. There are actors I work with and I’m like, “Oh, man. What a bummer. They’re not who I was expecting them to be.” But then there’s the ones that you’re just like, “Oh, my god.” Every single person on this cast was just the most beautiful soul. They were all just there for the right reasons and they gave 110%. Everyone on that crew did. It was spectacular. I mean, it was one for the record books, for sure.
Jennifer Garner attends ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix.
MF: Dean, was Jennifer Garner’s appearance as Elektra a result of you, Shawn and Ryan working with her on ‘The Adam Project’?
DZ: No. I think it was just kind of bringing in these legacy people. At one point we had Jen and Ben Affleck coming back as Daredevil. Obviously, there was some stuff. But it was funnier to just have the one and then joke about it, you know what I mean? So that kind of worked out that way and I think the relationship with Jen on ‘The Adam Project ‘pushed the cards to her side a little bit more, but either way it would’ve worked perfectly. But no, it was also just to have another female badass character come back and who better than Electra, like come on!
MF: Dean, Ryan Reynolds said during the press tour that he and Shawn had to meet with Madonna to get the rights to use ‘Like A Prayer’ in the movie. He also said that during that meeting, Madonna had a note about that scene that was eventually implemented. Can you reveal which scene that was and what was her suggestion?
DZ: The editorial note that she wanted to do was I think a tonal note, but I think that came off what was recorded. So, we were always going to do an orchestra accompaniment with ‘Like a Prayer’ and we did it. We recorded it in London. What her big note was, was that it wasn’t “urban enough”. It sounded like a group of 50 white British men and women singing and she wanted it more “urban”. She wanted a robust gospel choir and more soul. So, that forced us to re-record in LA with this gospel choir and thank God, she did it. It’s just her brilliance and her being around for as long as she has that made this happen and it literally took it to a totally different level. It was a headache to do because we were literally on the final mixing stage doing the mix on the movie, and to do all this stuff last second. Also, (composer) Rob (Simonson) had to write it. So, it was all, again, happening so fast. The whole thing did, the post schedule on this was nothing like I’ve ever seen as long as I’ve been doing this, 30 something years. I’ve never experienced a post schedule this quickly with this many visual effects and the amount of scrutiny and pressure to have this be as a massive hit because the industry was depending on it almost.
MF: Shane, can you talk about cutting the fight sequences in the Void between Wolverine and Sabretooth, and Deadpool and Wolverine?
SR: The void fight, it was the first fight sequence I’ve ever cut. I remember thinking, maybe there’s these tricks that I must know. Do I cut frames out? Do I add these speed effects? Like anything, it’s just a feeling. It’s just a flow and a rhythm. I mean, I will say that the choreography by our stunt choreographer and just Hugh Jackman, my God, the faces he would make, the performance that he gave. I think what it did was it effectively gave audience members a fight that they feel like they’re sometimes missing. It gave character performance and personality to a fight sequence, and it kept it really grounded. Everything that we did from the van fight and the Void fight with Sabretooth were very grounded experiences in real world locations with props that were real. I think it’s what allows people to connect a little bit more to the physicality of the film and the characters and make them feel more human. One of the things that I keep saying from the trailer, when we first did one of the trailers where Deadpool unloads all the bullets in Wolverine’s rib cage. I was thinking, “I think that we are underestimating how powerful these visuals are.” When have we ever seen a character in any movie that’s a human being take a rib cage full of bullets in a trailer or anything? It was one of the things I thought was most exciting going into this movie is that you have that ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’, ‘48 Hrs.’, ‘Rush Hour’ tension that exists between two characters you want to see grow, but now you’ve weaponized them and they’re indestructible and they can take out that frustration physically. I think that’s the first time an audience has ever gotten to experience that take on it.
MF: Finally, Dean, what was it like cutting the incredible fight sequence in the van between Deadpool and Wolverine?
DZ: I mean, that sequence again was choreographed within an inch of its life because of the constraints of what it is, you’re fighting in a van! Deadpool couldn’t use his katanas, so we had to use the little knife that he had in his chest piece and his baby knife, where Wolverine just had these claws. So, it was always going to be a bloodbath. The biggest challenge was getting that sequence and then finding the right music to go to it. We obviously knew we were going to do the head against the radio with a full nod to ‘The Greatest Showman’ there. But then where do you go? What do you do? That’s where, again, Shane is so great with music. He picked the AC/DC song for the Void fight. I can’t remember what we came up with (for the van scene). (Note: It was “You’re the one that I want” from ‘Grease’). It’s just one of those things, like, “Let’s just put in this.” It’s like how do you do the contradiction of it? Make it weird and different but keeping it visceral and real. But again, where Shane was saying, having Hugh’s face and the anger and just the pure hatred for this character. Again, this is something that’s been built up for so long because in the press they (Ryan and Hugh) pretended they hated each other, even though they were best friends. So, it was literally both these fights were like this long time coming. To see that viscerally on Hugh’s face, and again, he went there because he was going through stuff emotionally, in his personal life as well as professionally. The performance he brought is what really made this all not only grounded and real, but just it brought it to the next level where you felt the palpable tension and you felt the hatred and you felt like, “Yeah. They’re going to fight, and they want to kill each other.” It was great. It was a little bit paint by numbers, but at the same time there were some things that wasn’t working, and we had the opportunity and luxury of having a production team very open and receptive to how fast that we work in the cutting room. Getting dailies and cutting them so quickly and showing Shawn and going, “We don’t think this works. Can we come up with something else better for this?” Then them just going out and doing it the next day. The other thing that I will say is all these fights, they were shot on location. They weren’t on a stage. They weren’t on a green screen or a blue screen. It was all out in the real world. That’s what makes this so different than a lot of these other sequences because they’re all CG. They drove the car! We trashed the van! All this stuff, we did in real life out in London, which Marvel doesn’t do because it’s all so secretive. So, it was a real testament to the lengths that they went to give us the support that we wanted to do, which was to make a real film out in the world. Yes, there were some leaks, and we had our trials and tribulations with paparazzi and all that kind of stuff, but we got through it, and it all worked hand in hand, and it made us better. I think what it showed is that we are doing something different and more unique than any other Marvel movie has done. I think that’s what audiences are enjoying more than anything, not knowing that that’s why it is because we did it for real in real life.
SR: I’ll just add one thing onto the van fight that I’m realizing I haven’t really commented on that notches up the performance and the joy of that scene, which was such a weird choice by Hugh to just start laughing while Deadpool’s on top of him, which is such a character moment of just like, “Come on.” Then Ryan had the idea to add some dripping blood onto his cheek and teeth, and it’s just such a weird piece of the puzzle that elevates sequences like that from a fight scene to like, “God, I’m getting story and character in a moment that should just be getting punches and kicks and flying around.” I think that’s the difference in this film is that you feel it everywhere.
FW15JuJGFTtwqnkn4XqPf5
What is the plot of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?
Six years after the events of ‘Deadpool 2’, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA)—a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline—pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
For almost twenty-five years Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine on screen, longer than any other actor has consecutively portrayed a live-action comic book character.
The actor has appeared as the character in six different ‘X-Men‘ movies and three ‘Wolverine‘ movies including the critically acclaimed ‘Logan,’ which was supposed to be his final appearance as the beloved character.
However, Jackman will reprise his signature role one more time opposite his good friend Ryan Reynolds in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘, which is the third movie in the ‘Deadpool‘ franchise but the first to take place in the MCU and will open in theaters on July 26th.
In honor of Jackman’s return to the character, Moviefone is counting down every Hugh Jackman appearance as Wolverine, including his cameos and his latest film.
Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
After seeking to live a normal life, Logan (Hugh Jackman) sets out to avenge the death of his girlfriend by undergoing the mutant Weapon X program and becoming Wolverine.
Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
After the re-emergence of the world’s first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan. Jackman appears as Wolverine in a cameo.
(L to R) Haley Berry and Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men—led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart)—and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organised under Xavier’s former ally, Magneto (Ian McKellen).
(L to R) Zazie Beetz as Domino, Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool, and Terry Crews as Bedlam in ‘Deadpool 2.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) battles the powerful Cable (Josh Brolin) and other bad guys to save a boy’s life. Jackman appears as Wolverine in an end credit cameo.
(L to R) James McAvoy, Hugh Jackman and Michael Fassbender in ‘X-Men: First Class’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Before Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were arch-enemies, they were closest of friends, working together with other mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. Jackman appears as Wolverine in a cameo.
Explore the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, embark on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
Hugh Jackman in ‘The Wolverine’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Wolverine (Jackman) faces his ultimate nemesis – and tests of his physical, emotional, and mortal limits – in a life-changing voyage to modern-day Japan.
Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods as they join forces with their younger selves in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
Wounded Civil War soldier, John Dunbar (Costner) tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he’s assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.
(L to R) Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Wendy Jacobson attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Six years after the “Merc with a Mouth” saved Canada’s pride by blowing Ryan Reynolds’ brains all over his ‘Green Lantern’ script in ‘Deadpool 2‘, he’s back this time to rescue the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU’s first R-rated movie, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ finds Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Reynolds), teaming up with Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the one-time X-Man who we last saw sacrificing himself at the end of 2017’s ‘Logan.’
But the Logan in this film is not the Logan we saw die back then (that one does make an encore here…sort of). When an unhappily retired Deadpool is captured by Time Variance Authority agent Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) as part of a plan to erase Wade’s timeline, Wade searches the multiverse for the one person who can help save it. That person is Logan — but in classic Deadpool style, he picks the worst Logan of all.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ marks the first time that characters from the now-defunct Fox Marvel Universe are leading an MCU movie, following Disney’s purchase of Fox five years ago. While every Marvel fan in the world has dreamed of seeing Wade and Logan team up onscreen, their traipsing through the MCU’s multiverse is sure to bring about some cosmic changes – not to mention a slew of rumored cameos (too many to go into here). Whatever happens, the MCU is almost certain never to be the same.
Moviefone was at a virtual press conference earlier this week in which all this was discussed – or at least teased – featuring Reynolds, Jackman, Macfadyen, Emma Corrin (who plays villain Cassandra Nova), director Shawn Levy, producer Wendy Jacobson, Marvel Studios chief creative officer Kevin Feige, and Peggy the dog – who plays the variant known as Dogpool.
1) Hugh Jackman Regretted Hanging Up His Claws Almost Immediately
Hugh Jackman said that shortly after completing work on ‘Logan’ and announcing his retirement from the role, the thought of Wolverine teaming with Deadpool made his reconsider his decision.
Hugh Jackman: I watched ‘Deadpool 1’ three days after announcing ‘Logan’ would be my last. I remember thinking, “Oops,” because I could see the movie. Listen, this wasn’t new to me. Ever since I played Wolverine, people have been talking about Deadpool and Wolverine, and their rivalry from the comic books. Then, of course, we had a go at it with ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ [in which Reynolds played a very different and ill-conceived version of Deadpool], but I could feel it, I could see it. It was ‘Midnight Run,’ it was ‘48 Hours,’ it was ‘The Odd Couple,’ ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.’ It was all these great matchups that I could feel. We toyed with the idea, but it was August 14th, 2022, and I don’t know why, I just knew, every cell in my body was yelling at me, “I want to do this movie.” So much so that I pulled my car over and I rang Ryan immediately, because I knew that they were getting close to filming. I thought they may have even been filming. I asked him, and thankfully, he said yes.
2) What Did Ryan Reynolds Learn About Hugh Jackman That He Didn’t Know Before?
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Reynolds said that the seeds of his longstanding professional and personal bromance with Jackman began when they first worked together on the troubled set of ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine.’
Ryan Reynolds: I stepped onto that set on ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ during a really tough time. It was not unlike this year, where we had a writers’ strike, so it was very hard to make a movie in the midst of that. I watched him as a leader, as a human being, lead with kindness and class. I remember I had a moment where I felt like I could have done a scene better. At the end of the day, everyone was ready to go home, and Hugh just fired up the set, had all the lights turned back on, everyone was zipping their costumes back up, and he gave me one more crack at it. I just remember thinking, “God, if I’m ever even orbiting anywhere near that guy’s footprint, I hope I’m something even remotely resembling his level of class and kindness and professionalism.” Now, being up close and personal and getting this experience with him…what I got to see day in and day out [was] a person with that control over his voice and his body — because this movie is incredibly physical for him — who’s cumulatively acquired a lifetime of choreography, learning, unlearning, and relearning all of these different things, controlling his voice, Broadway, all those things, and all of that being ultra-applicable to the most aggressive, violent character in the MCU was so interesting to me. Just being a foot away from his eyes and the clarity that he had as this character and as a human being, it was really enlightening. It was a privilege that I not once took for granted.
3) Hugh Jackman Gives It Right Back
(L to R) Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Working with Ryan Reynolds for the first time on a film in which Reynolds was one of the main creative drivers as co-writer and producer, Jackman said he came away with a newfound respect for his longtime friend.
Hugh Jackman: I want to really speak to the side of Ryan as a writer and as a producer. I didn’t know these things. I have…not [been] in a film with him as a producer or in a film with him as a writer. It’s the generosity of both, I think. He’s all over it. There are a lot of actors who have producer written after them in titles, and I’m like, “Not so much.” Probably including myself in a couple of occasions. But with Ryan, it is 100%. He and Shawn led from the front in every way. They created an atmosphere that was simultaneously free, fun, playful, but also, everyone expecting and helping each other to be at their best, and that’s a really fine line to balance. Also, as a writer, his generosity in being able to, I think, somehow look after everybody else’s character even more than his own and being involved a little bit with edits and cuts. He will sacrifice even great moments for his character for the betterment of the movie, and that generosity he can’t speak to, because he’ll self-deprecate and undercut, and I can speak to it.
4) Kevin Feige On What Makes ‘Deadpool 3’ Important To The MCU
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
It’s no secret that the MCU has gone through some rough times with critics, fans, and audiences following the peak performance of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019. Studio head Kevin Feige explained why ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is a significant film for the ever-expanding Marvel franchise, and whether it marks a ‘before and after’ moment for the saga.
Kevin Feige: Well, I think every movie is important, but the most important thing is a great movie, and Shawn and Ryan and Hugh and this whole team have made a great movie, so there’s nothing better for a cinematic universe than a great movie coming out. The before and after — I mean, I think a lot of people talk about the R rating. Is every movie going to be R-rated after this? Of course not, but I hope every movie after this embraces its tonality the way ‘Deadpool’ does and the way this team was able to do on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ And also, clearly now that we have the characters from the ‘X-Men’ world and the mutants that we haven’t had access before, I think this is the beginning of that. Everything post-‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ will be the mutant era coming into the MCU.
5) Hugh Jackman Is Very Clear About The Highlight Of Playing Wolverine Again
Back when the first ‘X-Men’ movie arrived, fans were disgruntled when the mutant superhero team showed up onscreen in black leather uniforms instead of their classic blue-and-yellow gear [“There were studio execs in charge who knew that ‘The Matrix’ had been a big hit and ‘The Matrix’ had black leather, so let’s put them in black leather,” explained Kevin Feige, who was there at the time]. But fans have been overjoyed to see Logan wearing the iconic colors in live-action for the first time in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’
Hugh Jackman: I’ve got to say the highlight was putting on that suit, the yellow and blue suit. It had been talked about from the very beginning, right, Kevin? I mean, those conversations were there. It wasn’t like it was never mentioned…Then it became like, “I don’t know if we can make it work.” But the moment I put it on, I remember walking out there with Ryan on set, him in the Deadpool [suit], me in the yellow and blue amongst this crew that had done hundreds of movies and seen everything. There was just a hush and you could feel that everyone was going, “Okay, this is a moment that should have happened 24 years ago.”
6) Ryan Reynolds Loves Peggy The Dog, aka Dogpool
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds, Peggy aka “Dogpool” and Hugh Jackman attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
The trailers for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ have revealed the existence of Dogpool, one of the many Deadpool variants (including Lady Deadpool and others) that Wade comes across in his quest across the multiverse. Dogpool is played by a real canine (not a digital creation) named Peggy.
Ryan Reynolds: Peggy is incredible. Peggy went really from zero to hero on this movie. I’m not kidding. I mean, Peggy won the UK’s ugliest dog competition, which frankly, I think is cruel. A cruel contest. I mean, they’re very kind to the dogs, but Peggy is a real testament. My character, Wade Wilson, falls in love with Peggy, because Peggy is the sort of dog version of me. Outcast, doesn’t look right. But Jules and the training team behind this little girl really just stepped up and took her from just an absolute pain in the ass to the most wonderful actor in this entire film. Genuine, what a treat. My kids are obsessed with Peggy.
7) Hugh Jackman Named His Favorite Wolverine Variant
In a scene already revealed to the press, Deadpool skips through several universes in search of a Wolverine who can help save his timeline. Along the way, he meets several variants in brief sequences representing some of Logan’s most iconic scenes and tableaux from the pages of Marvel Comics. All these variants are played by Jackman, who picked out his favorite.
Hugh Jackman: In terms of the variants, it was so cool. I was given, actually, on the very first ‘X-Men’ movie, a thing which I had framed, which was a collection — imagine trading cards, but not cut-up, so it was just a sheet of trading cards of all the different Wolverine variants. There had to have been maybe 50 or 60 on that. I’ve had it next to my bed in Australia, and I’d look at it all the time and I’d just think, “Wow, the pirate. Wow, the samurai. How could we pull that off?” All of a sudden, this movie, I’m like, [makes ‘checking off list’ sound]. My favorite of the variants, I have to say, I think is Patch [a gambler in a white tux and eyepatch]. There’s something about Patch that’s ticked a little internal James Bond.
8) Emma Corrins Explained What Fascinated Them About Cassandra Nova
Fresh off TV series like ‘The Crown‘, ‘Pennyworth,’ and ‘A Murder at the End of the World,’ Emma Corrin makes their MCU debut as Cassandra Nova, a mutant with powerful telepathic powers who is the twin sister of X-Men founder and leader Professor Charles Xavier. Corrin said that the effect of the siblings’ history on Cassandra is what impacted them about the role.
Emma Corrin: What really piqued my interest with joining the ‘Deadpool’ universe in particular, [was] bringing Cassandra to it, obviously, with everything that we know and love about her origin story and her relationship with Charles Xavier. That was the key into it for me, because I think the term “villain” is a great one and we all know that villains have the most fun. But I think that, for me, I really needed to find a key into what made her tick, and find that side to empathize with her. For me, that was her relationship with her brother, and I think you will see in this film, through her interactions with Wolverine, that’s explored with, obviously, the history of the X-Men and everything. So that was really fun. There was a lot of scope. It was a big sandbox. We all got to try out loads of different things. Cassandra in particular, Shawn and I realized, as we were going through the film, who she would become, and that was a really fun process.
Shawn Levy attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Shawn Levy also expressed how delighted he was with the work of Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen in the film.
Shawn Levy: When you have Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen playing the two major supporting roles in a movie, you have such a gift, because they’re both such nimble, unpredictable actors, and that’s what we wanted from the beginning for Mr. Paradox and for Cassandra Nova. So really, the way that Emma and Matthew blessed this movie with their talent and their dexterity, that really defined it.
9) Matthew Macfadyen Admitted He Didn’t Watch ‘Loki’ Before Shooting ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
The Time Variance Authority (TVA) was introduced in the Marvel/Disney+ series ‘Loki,’ where it was originally protecting the one Sacred Timeline. By the end of ‘Loki’ Season 2, it’s the TVA’s job to protect all the timelines. Matthew Macfadyen admitted (rather sheepishly) that he didn’t watch ‘Loki’ before taking on the role of ambitious TVA agent Mr. Paradox.
Matthew Macfadyen: I have to say that I haven’t, shamefully, yet. But in a funny way, that’s great, because I could just come to it pretty fresh. It’s a very complicated world, the TVA. Mr. Paradox is an interesting character, he’s a slightly angry, jangly, middle management apparatchik who’s ambitious for greater things…I just dove in and hoped for the best.
10) Marvel Didn’t Push Back On Deadpool’s Trademark Raunchiness And Violence
Although the first two ‘Deadpool’ films are gory, raunchy, (hilariously) nasty and frequently inappropriate, Ryan Reynolds said that the filmmakers did not get any limits imposed on them for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ by the normally family-friendly Marvel and Disney.
Ryan Reynolds: The story would be so fun if it was us against them, and “the studio didn’t want to do this.” This is so boring, but they were incredible partners from the get-go. Partly because I think Shawn and I also like to make movies responsibly. We like to hold ourselves to account and self-govern as much as possible. But also, they understood what this was from the beginning. Kevin always saw it…how to not exploit an R rating or just use it to be jackasses for some reason. Everything is in service of this movie being as warm as possible and as emotional as possible while still being the most unexpected MCU film in history.
FW15JuJGFTtwqnkn4XqPf5
What is the plot of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?
Six years after the events of ‘Deadpool 2’, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA)—a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline—pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
