Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds will work together again on Shawn Levy will direct Deadpool 3, which marks his third collaboration with Reynolds. It came directly on the heels of their second movie The Adam Project releasing on Netflix.
Levy and Reynolds began working together on 20th Century's first two Deadpool movies—directed by Tim Miller and David Leitch, respectively—but Shawn Levy's involvement after The Adam Project points to him being the perfect director choice.
While the first two movies in the Deadpool series were both well-received, Shawn Levy already has an advantage for Deadpool 3, having worked with Ryan Reynolds multiple times. The two of them have a very strong working relationship and respect for each other. But, Levy is also responsible for pulling terrific performances from Reynolds, as The Adam Project specifically proved. There has been a growing criticism online that Reynolds just "plays himself" in all of his movies, but The Adam Project allowed him to give a more emotional performance. This is great news for Deadpool's MCU debut, as it could mean Deadpool 3 will show a new side of Wade Wilson. The frequent jokes won't have to stop, but Shawn Levy could help show some non-comedic sides of Deadpool or not undercut every dramatic moment with quips.
Shawn Levy is also a great fit for Deadpool 3 based on the tone and genre of The Adam Project. The Netflix movie incorporates great moments of action and comedy, which are two of the defining characteristics of the Deadpool franchise. Free Guy also shined with its inventive action set pieces, while both movies contained superhero-esque action elements thanks to their premises. The Adam Project even went as far as referencing the superhero landing pose Deadpool joked about. Although Levy has never directed an R-rated movie before, he should have no trouble bringing similarly great action scenes to life and striking the right comedic balance.
It could also be in Shawn Levy's favor that The Adam Project further proved that he can handle large ensembles and multiple characters. This could be good news if Deadpool 3 features a big cast made up of characters from prior Deadpool installments and current MCU stars. Levy worked with a few already on The Adam Project with Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo, while his other movies have featured Owen Wilson, Evangeline Lilly, Kathryn Hahn, and Chris Evans. He's even worked with Channing Tatum and Hugh Jackman before if the next Deadpool sequel wants to embrace the multiverse and incorporate their versions of Gambit and Wolverine. It is for all of these reasons that Shawn Levy directing Deadpool 3 after working with Ryan Reynolds on The Adam Project makes the MCU movie so exciting.
