Deadpool 3 star Hugh Jackman revealed that he's wanted a 48 Hrs.-style team-up between Wolverine and the Merc with the Mouth since 2016.
Speaking to Variety in an exclusive story about his career, the X-Men actor spoke in length about his surprise return as Logan in the upcoming Deadpool installment being produced by Marvel Studios. While making Logan, Jackman was prepared to make his graceful exit from the popular Marvel franchise. But a viewing of 2016's Deadpool gave him an idea inspired by Eddie Murphy's 1982 breakout buddy comedy to see the silly mutant assassin butt heads with Weapon X himself.
"I went to a screening of Deadpool. I was 20 minutes in, and I was like, 'Ah, damn it!’ All I kept seeing in my head was 48 Hrs. with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy,'" Jackman said. "So it's been brewing for a long time. It just took me longer to get here."
The MCU's Version of a Buddy Comedy
Directed by Walter Hill, 48 Hrs. starred Murphy as the incarcerated Reggie Hammond, who gets temporarily released from prison by San Francisco Detective Jack Cates (Nolte) to hunt down cop killers across the city. Its combination of serious action and comedy between polar opposite personalities made the film a smash hit when released in December 1982. Considered the first buddy cop action-comedy, 48 Hrs. paved the way for such classics as Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour. Additionally, the film served as an influence on Marvel Studios' The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series.
Since his first appearance as Wolverine in 2000's X-Men, Jackman has become an international superstar and embraced the role in multiple sequels and spinoffs during the 20th Century Fox era of the franchise. He teamed with Reynolds' Wade Wilson/Deadpool in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Unfortunately, the film was critically panned by fans who despised the muddled story and the Merc with the Mouth's inaccurate depiction.
Jackman and Reynolds spent years in a playful "feud" as the Deadpool star made public pleas for a Wolverine team-up. It got close to reality with Deadpool 2's mid-credits scene, where the Merc with the Mouth encountered Logan via archive footage in X-Men Origins: Wolverine to "clean up the timelines." The years of Reynolds' lobbying paid off when he released a video announcing Jackman's return and the sequel's release date.
Deadpool 3, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, hits theaters on Nov. 8, 2024.
Source: Variety