How Much of ‘Deadpool 3’ Was Filmed Before the Strike

Back in mid-July, fans were shocked but not surprised to receive the news that Deadpool 3 stopped production due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. While production was initially able to continue because the script had already been finished, it wasn’t possible to move on when actors decided to join in and voice their issues with the AMPTP as well. During the interview at the Collider studio at Cinema Center at MARBL, the movie’s director Shawn Levy, who was at TIFF to world premiere his Netflix limited-series All the Light We Cannot See, revealed exactly where production was when the time came to halt.

During the interview, Levy revealed to our Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub that the team was 35 days into production when the strike was announced. According to the filmmaker, this was “exactly halfway through filming,” meaning that there are still 35 extra days of shoot so that principal photography can be finished. Does this mean that Levy and his team prioritized filming scenes heavy with CGI so that those could be worked on during the strike?

“That would have been smarter than I am. That would have been so savvy. But I guess, like others in our industry, I somehow thought this second strike would be averted. Then suddenly, it was upon us, and I had to send several hundred people home, and they’re still waiting to come back to work. So, I’m just really—I don’t use this word lightly—I’m yearning for a resolution that feels fair and equitable and gets this industry back to work.”

Deadpool Half-Full

The good news for fans is, since half of Deadpool 3 already exists, there’s a chance that we’ll see a teaser or maybe even a full trailer for the movie soon. Studios tend to use early footage exactly for this purpose, and that’s why sometimes scenes from the trailer don’t end up on a finished film. Another common practice is to take advantage of the fact that actors are on location and suited up to record additional promotional material, so who knows? Maybe there’s something down the line, especially if 20th Century Studios and Marvel Studios decide to stick with the early May release date for Deadpool 3.

Of course, sticking to that release window would mean that the Deadpool 3 team is counting on the strike ending sooner rather than later, but that fully depends on AMPTP – the entity that represents studios – agreeing to sit down and negotiate terms with actors and screenwriters.

Deadpool 3 is highly anticipated by Marvel fans as it will not only bring the merc with a mouth to the big screen after a 6-year absence, but also pair Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) with fan-favorite mutant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Jennifer Garner (Alias) is also set to reprise her Marvel role as Elektra, but details of the story are still kept under wraps.

Deadpool 3 is set to premiere in theaters on May 3, 2024.