‘Deadpool 3’ Wraps Filming After Strike Delay, Ryan Reynolds Announces: ‘It’s Mostly Tears’

After a lengthy delay caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike, Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool 3” has wrapped filming, star Ryan Reynolds announced Wednesday on Instagram.

Reynolds thanked the “Deadpool 3” cast, crew and director Shawn Levy, while poking fun at his co-star Hugh Jackman. The touching, borderline heartfelt message was offset — in classic Reynolds and Deadpool fashion — by a picture of the superhero’s spandexed crotch.

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“The suit hides the blood. Also sweat… But today, with ‘Deadpool’ wrapping, it’s mostly tears. A giant and forever thanks to the cast and crew of our film who battled wind, rain, strikes and @thehughjackman all under the stalwart leadership of @slevydirect,” Reynolds wrote on Instagram. “I got to make a movie with my closest pals and that doesn’t happen very often. See ya July 26th… ⚔️🥺⚔️.”

“Deadpool 3” was originally slated to release in theaters on May 3, 2024 but was delayed, along with many other movies, during the SAG-AFTRA strike last year. Its new date is July 26, and it will mark Deadpool’s official entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Disney acquired Fox. The two previous “Deadpool” movies, along with the entire “X-Men” franchise, were owned and released by Fox before the $71.3 billion acquisition, completed by Disney in 2019.

The latest “Deadpool” movie will be a reunion for Reynolds and Jackman, who previously starred together in 2009’s ill-fated “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Before Reynolds starred as the Merc With a Mouth in two standalone movies, he played a version of Deadpool in “X-Men Origins,” but it was a flop with critics and fans. Now, “Deadpool 3” will bring him and Wolverine together — even though the iconic X-Men hero died at the end of 2017’s “Logan.” But characters have a way of returning from the dead in superhero movies, especially with the universe-bending rules of the MCU’s multiverse.

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