Deadpool 3, the Ryan Reynolds starring Deadpool threequel in development at Marvel Studios, emerged as a trending topic on Twitter Saturday after a viral poll gauging interest in upcoming blockbuster movie sequels asked users to select the three movies they most want to see released with all others being "cancelled." Other candidates named in the trending tweet include Marvel Studios' own Thor: Love and Thunder, Sony's animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Warner Bros.' The Flash and Zack Snyder's Justice League, as well as Mission: Impossible 7, John Wick 4, James Cameron's Avatar 2, Indiana Jones 5, and director Taika Waititi's untitled Star Wars feature film.
Rob Liefeld, Deadpool's creator, recently claimed Disney-owned Marvel Studios has "zero plans" for Deadpool 3 despite star and producer Reynolds confirming the sequel is in development at the studio following Disney's acquisition of former franchise handler Fox.
In an interview with Inverse, Liefeld said the Deadpool franchise "set sail" as Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige has no plan to include the character in a slate that includes Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and other previously announced projects. Liefeld made similar comments to ComicBook.com, stating Marvel is "the reason [Deadpool 3] isn't happening."
Then-Disney CEO Bob Iger in late 2017 revealed plans to bring Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, home to the Avengers, saying on a Disney investor's call the studio would consider an R-rated Marvel brand alongside Marvel Studios' PG-13 fare. Feige would later back those comments when he told Variety, "There's no question that Deadpool is working, so why would we change it?"
2016's Deadpool grossed $783 million, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film in history until it was unseated by the $785 million earned by its 2018 sequel Deadpool 2. Both films have since been topped by Warner Bros. and DC Films' billion-plus grossing Joker.
"Kevin Feige has so much on his plate and he is the master of the universe. When Kevin says it's time, it'll be time," Deadpool and Deadpool 2 co-writer Paul Wernick said in an October 2019 interview. "That may be a year from now, it may be six months from now, it may be three years from now. He doesn't make a wrong move so whatever decision he makes will be the right one."
Wernick added he and co-writer Rhett Reese are "ready to snap to it whenever Ryan gives us that call and says 'Let's go.' And that's also about finding the right idea and how that fits into the larger MCU universe. It's a little more complicated than when we were at Fox, but we're happy to be part of the MCU now and whatever Kevin says, we do."