Shawn Levy eased fans’ concerns about the gradually increasing cameos in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

As Marvel Studios is focused on creating a multiverse, where films and shows lean into the idea of variants and alternate universes, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool joins the MCU alongside Hugh Jackman’s Logan. While Jackman’s appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine was already confirmed, set leaks and rumors of infinite X-Men cameos make fans concerned.

A still from the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine

Following the recent revelation confirming that Aaron Stanford will reprise his role as Pyro from the second and third X-Men movies, fans appeared worried about cameos causing distractions in the upcoming movie. However, Deadpool & Wolverine helmer Shawn Levy defends the cameos claiming that only Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman will be the driving force in the plot.

Hugh Jackman Gave Direction to Deadpool & Wolverine

With Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine gradually approaching its release date, the director sits for an interview with EW, to address how the script came through. Initially beginning by stating that the original script for Ryan Reynolds’ third installment strictly catered to the first two films, Levy noted how it significantly changed after Hugh Jackman joined in.

“Everything changed radically on the day that Hugh called Ryan. We had been workshopping a lot of ideas about possible stories for a third Deadpool movie. Those were story ideas that were more sequelly to the first two Deadpools, but none of them imagined such a seismic shift.”

Informing fans about how Hugh Jackman offered a better direction to the script, after agreeing to reprise his role as Logan aka Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine, Shawn Levy promised a gripping storyline. Admitting that the story changed completely and quickly, after Jackman’s call, Levy called it a blessing or rather “sky-opening gift from the heavens type of phone call”.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine

“I can safely say that the story completely changed and, in fact, came to us very, very quickly starting that day… Everyone assumed that Hugh’s return was the result of me or Ryan pestering or pitching him relentlessly. But even more miraculously, this was the result of a Hugh Jackman epiphany. He wanted to do this team-up of Logan and Deadpool, and so it really was a sky-opening gift from the heavens type of phone call that changed everything.”

Eventually, shifting from the topic of Hugh Jackman’s confirmed appearance in the film to the infinite cameos that have been concerning fans, Shawn Levy revealed how his team chose the X-Men movie characters making the jump to the MCU.

Shawn Levy Defends the Infinite Cameos in the Sequel

As leaked photos from the sets and rumors hint at a number of cameos in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, fans grow concerned about its effect on the film. According to reports, people are worried that the gradually increasing cameos from X-Men heroes and villains might cause distraction from the two titular characters. Therefore, addressing fans’ concerns, Shawn Levy offered promising hope.

Explaining that they didn’t have a “wishlist” of characters they wanted in the movie, but instead, characters were added as per story requirements, Shawn Levy promised that any characters outside of Ryan Reynolds‘ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine wouldn’t be a driving force in the plot. Beginning with  Matthew Macfadyen’s appearance as Mr. Paradox to Aaron Stanford’s fire-wielding mutant Pyro, Levy explains why they were added to the script.

Aaron Stanford’s Pyro in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

“[Deadpool & Wolverine] is still Wade dealing with certain issues, but it’s very much two characters, two heroes, and two haunted men hoisted together in a shared journey… I’ll say we didn’t start off with a wishlist. From the day we started devising this Deadpool and Wolverine story, we let the story dictate the characters, not the other way around. Aaron and his return as Pyro was an outgrowth of that, and that applies to pretty much all the characters you’ll see in the movie.”

Despite the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine being packed with a massive ensemble, the filmmaker emphasizes that the movie will be a true two-hander between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Although fans can expect some timeline shenanigans, Shawn Levy confirmed that cameos in the sequel won’t absolutely appear as distractions.

Deadpool & Wolverine is set to hit the theatres on July 26, 2024.