Deadpool & Wolverine Director Signed On After Having Originally Passed on The Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy took on the MCU project after passing on The Wolverine. During Empire Magazine‘s recent cover story, the filmmaker revealed that Hugh Jackman approached him to helm the 2013 project. That all went down while they were making Real Steel. But, Levy says, “Like a moron, I said, ‘No’.” He would regret that decision for some time. But, after a long time, when Ryan Reynolds approached him about the previously titled Deadpool & Wolverine, the director knew he had the chance to do something extraordinary. Then, when Jackman put his claws back on as Logan, they had a true stew going. Check out his memories of that time for yourself down below.

“On the set of The Adam Project, Ryan asked me if I would consider doing Deadpool 3,” Levy told the outlet. “And I remember him saying, ‘I know you’re gonna say no, but I’m really going to try and talk you into it.’ And my response was, ‘I’m not gonna fucking say no, are you kidding? It’s a hard and immediate yes, sir!’”

“When we were making Real Steel, Hugh was looking to do The Wolverine, and he asked me if I wanted to do it,” the director shared. “And like a moron, I said, ‘No’. Because I was thinking at that time, ‘Well, it’s your fifth time playing the character, I’m doing original films et cetera’. And I regretted it deeply for years. And so, when the opportunity came around again, thank God I was older and wiser enough to jump at the opportunity.”

Hugh Jackman Finally Dons The Blue-and-Yellow In This Film

Speaking of The Wolverine, X-Men series star Hugh Jackman actually shared that he almost wore the classic blue-and-yellow costume in the 2013 feature. In another Empire Magazine piece, the Logan actor broke down how it would have played out. Most of his Wolverine tenure was in that black leather or his signature jacket look. But, fans actively lamented that they could have had it all with the comics-accurate costume. Check out what Jackman had to say.

“We almost did it in The Wolverine,” Jackman elaborated about his classic look. “But from the moment I put it on here, I was like, ‘How did we never do this?’ It looked so right, it felt so right. I was like, ‘That’s him.’ There are different sides of Wolverine we haven’t seen before in the movies. It was exciting for me… It’s great for Deadpool to have someone who will punch him in the face.” 

Have you liked what you’ve seen from Deadpool & Wolverine so far? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!