According to Production List, the two Marvel Cinematic Universe projects will both start main filming on May 1, with Deadpool 3 shooting in Vancouver, Canada, and Blade planned to film in both Atlanta and New Orleans. Short synopses for the next superhero films have also been issued, with Deadpool 3’s just teasing “another chapter in the bawdy, violent, and, of course, funny Deadpool franchise.” “He is known to be a vampire hunter—half-mortal, half-immortal—who strives to rid the world of vampires as a method of avenging his mother, who was slain by a vampire as she gave birth to him,” states the synopsis for Blade. While the summary is sparse on narrative elements, it does reveal that the MCU version of the character will retain his comic book roots.
The blade is set to be the final film in the MCU’s Phase 5, which began earlier this month with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Deadpool 3 will, on the other hand, kick off Phase 6, the final chapter in The Multiverse Saga. The blade was supposed to begin production in late 2022, however, that date was pushed back due to the resignation of the film’s original director, Bassam Tariq. Blade’s delay was partly attributed to creative disputes, with star Mahershala Ali apparently dissatisfied with the film’s original shooting screenplay. Michael Starrbury was then hired to rewrite the script, succeeding earlier writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour.
Patrick Stewart Teases a Role in Deadpool 3
While Blade is a reboot and unrelated to the Wesley Snipes-led trilogy from the late 1990s and early 2000s, Deadpool 3 is tangentially related to 20th Century Studios’ X-Men franchise, with both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprising their respective roles as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Logan/Wolverine. Patrick Stewart, who played Professor X in the X-Men series and a variant of the same character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has also hinted that he will reprise his role alongside Reynolds and Jackman, stating in February 2023 that he has been offered a role in the film “I’ve been told to be on the lookout. To be honest, I don’t know anything else.” At this point, Marvel Studios has yet to confirm Stewart’s involvement in Deadpool 3.
Outside from Reynolds and Jackman, The Crown breakthrough actress Emma Corrin is the sole confirmed performer for Deadpool 3, apparently portraying a villain other than Danger. Leslie Uggams and Zazie Beetz have also been believed to be reprising their roles as Blind Al and Domino from earlier Deadpool flicks, although, like Stewart, their hiring has yet to be verified by Marvel as of this writing.
The blade will conclude Phase 5 on September 6, 2024, with Deadpool 3 following a few months later on November 8, 2024, to begin Phase 6 of the MCU.
