Ryan Reynolds says Wade Wilson will return to the screen, ending months of speculation about whether the foul-mouthed antihero has a future at Marvel Studios. Speaking onstage at Fanatics Fest 2026, the actor confirmed a new “Deadpool” project is in development, though he stopped short of describing it as a traditional sequel.
“There’s a few really deep cuts that I think are missing behind the movies,” Reynolds told the crowd, name-checking Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza and longtime comic writer Gerry Duggan as influences on the character’s next chapter. “There’s stuff upcoming. There’s eventually, you know, remotely another Deadpool film. It’s going to be great.”
Reynolds gave no indication of whether the project would center Deadpool as a solo lead or place him inside a larger ensemble, and Marvel Studios has not responded to requests for comment. The ambiguity tracks with statements Reynolds has made repeatedly since 2024, when he argued that isolating Deadpool from every ally and stripping away his support system is what makes the character work, and that repeating that formula a fourth time would feel redundant rather than fresh.
Reports last year indicated Reynolds had begun sketching a team-focused project pairing Deadpool with three or four X-Men characters, an idea that would echo the mutant strike team X-Force from 2018’s “Deadpool 2.” Reynolds has said he sees the character as most effective as a supporting player who can be dropped into a group dynamic rather than carrying a film alone. He has also pushed back on rumors tying Deadpool to “Avengers: Doomsday,” insisting the character remaining outside the Avengers and X-Men ranks preserves the wish-fulfillment tension that makes him work.
The character’s box office track record gives Marvel and Disney strong incentive to keep him in the mix. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which reunited Reynolds with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in 2024, became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever released, pulling in more than $1.3 billion worldwide. That film followed 2016’s “Deadpool” and 2019’s “Deadpool 2,” both commercial successes that helped establish the character as one of the studio’s most bankable assets following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
No release date, director or cast has been announced for the new project.
