Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy teases his upcoming Marvel movie and celebrates his recent Netflix series, All The Light We Cannot See.

Deadpool & Wolverine will see Wade Wilson pulled from his happy life of peace, which he created using time travel at the end of Deadpool 2, by the TVA. He is recruited for a mission that unexpectedly throws him into the path of Wolverine. The duo will team up to fight a common enemy and forever change the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the process.

Deadpool quickly became a fan favorite after the massive success of the first two movies, with fans excitedly waiting to see the merc with the mouth make the jump into the MCU. While there were questions about the rating, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the first R-rated MCU movie, thus staying true to the foul-mouthed violent hero’s style. Shawn Levy is helming the movie, marking his third collaboration with star, co-writer, and producer Ryan Reynolds.

While at CinemaCon S.R had the chance to catch up with Shawn Levy and talk about Deadpool & Wolverine. He discussed how rewarding it is to direct vastly different projects, jumping from All The Light We Cannot See to Deadpool & Wolverine. Levy also explained how the third Deadpool movie is doing something different from the first two, but didn’t have an update on a potential Real Steel 2.

“I Can Do Both”: Shawn Levy Compares All The Light We Cannot See To Deadpool & Wolverine

Levy is a skilled director who has worked on a variety of television series and movies across various genres. While he has risen to prominence from his work with Reynolds on Free Guy and The Adam Project, which are more comedic action movies, he has also helmed more dramatic projects as well. Notably, his recent Netflix miniseries All The Light We Cannot See, a period piece centered around two teenagers during World War II, one a blind French girl and the other a German soldier.

Shawn Levy: It’s already been a trip that I made a period piece, World War 2 drama in the same year, that I then made Deadpool & Wolverine. Frankly, you’re naming my favorite part of this career that I’m very grateful for, which is that I can do both. They’re gonna let me do both. And that was always my dream; to make movies that connect with people, and make shows that connect with people, but mix it up. Don’t just be one thing. Don’t just do one thing.

Aria was one of like a thousand auditions, and she wasn’t an actor. She’d never acted, she’d never auditioned, but there was something from that first reading that I knew. There was something luminous, and I’m very self conscious about using that word with a show that’s titled All The Light. But there was something luminous and intelligent. She needed to learn [the acting] on the job, but that force of intelligence was what we needed for that Marie character. And that she had from the jump.

Deadpool & Wolverine Stands Out As “A Two-Hander Character Adventure”

Levy discussed why “audience joy” was at the forethought of his mind while working on Deadpool & Wolverine. He also explained how Deadpool & Wolverine stands out from the first two Deadpool movies because it is a movie with two leads. This isn’t Deadpool 3 featuring Wolverine, but a true buddy adventure movie.

Shawn Levy: I’ll tell you that the guiding thought in crafting the movie was audience joy. That was always the North Star. Yeah, it’s going to be gnarly. Yeah, it’s gonna be funny. That’s a given. But we wanted to build a great time at the theater for audiences, and that’s our goal.

As far as crafting the Deadpool and Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you’re talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles. It also gave me an opportunity. It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.

While the R-rating has been a major aspect of Deadpool & Wolverine for fans, Levy is less hung up on that. While it made sense for this movie, given who Deadpool is, Levy explained that he cares more about the nature of the story than the rating. The rating should be based on what makes sense for the story.

Shawn Levy: You know what? I’m not hung up on the rating thing. I know a lot gets said and written about it. But the truth is, I just like telling stories that are going to be a blast for audiences. This one wanted to be R. That’s the DNA of Deadpool. It made sense for the nature of the story we’re telling for Deadpool & Wolverine. But I’m not about rating. I’ll go with whatever rating makes sense for the story we’re telling.

Sadly, Levy didn’t have any concrete news about a potential sequel to Real Steel. Although he does appreciate fans continuing to ask about the project.

Shawn Levy: We always talk about Real Steel 2. Because the world won’t let us forget, and I’m glad for that.

About Deadpool & Wolverine

Wade Wilson is confronted by the TVA, which pulls him from a seemingly quiet life and results in Deadpool being unleashed. Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.

Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26.