Hugh Jackman is clawing his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Ryan Reynolds confirming that the Australian actor will be reprising the role of “Wolverine” in Reynolds’ upcoming “Deadpool” sequel.
On Tuesday, Sept. 27, Reynolds took to Twitter to share a video, writing, “Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one.”
Admitting he’s been working on the upcoming “Deadpool” sequel “for a good long while,” Reynolds said he’s “really had to search my soul for this one,” as he’s seen wandering in the woods.
READ MORE: Fans Think Hugh Jackman Just Hinted At A Wolverine Marvel Project
“His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special,” Reynolds continues. “We need to stay true to the character. Find new depth and motivation, new meaning.”
Adds Reynolds, alongside footage of himself emptying a bottle of his Aviation gin into a large coffee mug, “It’s been an incredible challenge that has forced me to reach down deep inside, and … I have nothing. Yeah, just completely empty up here,” he adds, pointing to his head.
“And terrifying,” he interjects. “But we did have one idea.”
At that moment, Jackman can be seen strolling by in the background.
“Hey Hugh, do you want to play Wolverine one more time?” Reynolds asks.
“Yeah, sure, Ryan,” Jackman answers casually, followed by the strains of “I Will Always Love You” (with the captioning changing “you” to “Hugh”), followed by the Deadpool logo being slashed by Wolverine’s adamantium claws.
Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/OdV7JmAkEu
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 27, 2022
Shawn Levy, director of “Deadpool 3”, likewise took to Twitter, joking that his experience on “Stranger Things” had trained him “to keep my big mouth shut,” adding, “This news has been burning a hole in my lips for weeks now.”
I want to take minute to thank #StrangerThings for training me to keep my big mouth shut. This news has been burning a hole in my lips for weeks now🙃⚔️
— Shawn Levy (@ShawnLevyDirect) September 27, 2022
Also chiming in on social media was John Krasinski, Reynolds’ co-star in the upcoming fantasy film “Imaginary Friends”, in which Krasinski is also director, producer and screenwriter.
Wait… is this our movie? https://t.co/eOnGPEZZov
— John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) September 27, 2022
This will mark the 11th time that Jackman will be seen onscreen as his iconic mutant superhero, whom he first played in 2000’s “X-Men”, and reprised in “X2: X-Men United”, “X-Men: The Last Stand”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “X-Men: First Class”, “The Wolverine”, “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, “X-Men: Apocalypse”, “Logan” and “Deadpool 2”, briefly appearing via archival footage.
Playing Wolverine one more time runs counter to what Jackman said last year, telling YouTube interviewer Jake Hamilton that playing Wolverine one more time was “not on the table” for him.
READ MORE: Hugh Jackman Shuts Down Possibility Of Returning To Wolverine: ‘Not On The Table’
“Let’s just be clear there: I realized before we shot ‘Logan’, I was like, we got the idea. We knew what it was going to be-ish, right? And I thought, This is it,” he said. “And that really helped me, it really helped knowing I was going into my last season, that it was my last season, that I made the most of it. And it’s still a character I hold close to my heart. But I know it’s done.”
He also specifically singled out Reynolds, who had apparently been hounding him to reprise the role one more time.
“Tell that to whoever you want,” Jackman added, “but please tell it to Ryan because he doesn’t believe it — he thinks I’m joking.”