Ryan Reynolds officially announces Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3

‘Hey, Hugh, you want to play Wolverine one more time?’ Reynolds asks

Hugh Jackman is set to return as Wolverine.

The news was announced by Jackman’s friend Ryan Reynolds, who posted a video of the two on social media Tuesday (27 September).

Reynolds revealed that Jackman would be reprising his most memorable role in the third Deadpool movie, in which Reynolds plays the titular character.

A date has also been set for the film’s release: 6 September 2024.

“Hey everyone, we’re extremely sad to have missed D23 [the official Disney fan club expo], but we’ve been working very hard on the next Deadpool film for a good long while now,” Reynolds says in the video.

“I’ve had to really search my soul on this one. His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special. We need to stay true to the character, find new depth, motivation, meaning. Every Deadpool needs to stand out and stand apart. It’s been an incredible challenge that has forced me to reach down deep inside. And I… I have nothing. Yeah, just completely empty up here. And terrifying. But we did have one idea.”

At this point, Jackman wanders behind Reynolds who is sat on a sofa facing the camera.

“Hey, Hugh, you want to play Wolverine one more time?” Reynolds asks.

“Yeah, sure, Ryan,” Jackman replies. The video ends with Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” and a “Coming Hughn” tag.

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool (Fox/Disney)

The Deadpool sigil then appears on-screen before being slashed by Wolverine’s claws.

The Australian actor previously played the mutant in nine films across the X-Men franchise, supposedly retiring from the character with 2017’s Logan.

For years, the rights to the X-Men franchise had been owned by Fox, meaning the characters were unable to cross over into the MCU, which is produced by Disney. Ever since Fox was acquired by Disney in 2019, however, fans have been wondering how and when the X-Men would be making an appearance.

Jackman appeared to hint at a return to the character last year while this year’s She-Hulk series also referenced the character.

After the announcement was made, Logan director James Mangold shared what many believed was a post hitting out at the news. However, after receiving a deluge of messages from fans, he later explained he was joking.