Filming on Deadpool 3 was halted after the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) decided to continue the strike.
According to Variety, the cast and crew of the R-rated MCU film halted production on July 14, with actors from the Writers Guild of America (WAG) joining the picket line after the actors’ union failed to secure a new contract deal to finalize with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) after four weeks of negotiations.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2nd, shutting down film and television writing services. However, some productions continued shooting after their scripts were already finished, but the double whammy of stopping work by both the writers and the actors will have a massive impact on Hollywood.
Deadpool 3 is one of the first major productions to pause production due to the new strike, shortly after filming began. Colossus actor Stefan Kapicic shared an Instagram Story in May to confirm that the cameras for the much-anticipated Threequel have been turned on amid the ongoing WAG strike.
A photo from the set was released on July 10, giving fans a first look at Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine alongside Deadpool’s titular Ryan Reynolds. The two actors appeared side-by-side in their superhero costumes, with Jackman wearing Wolverine’s most popular yellow and blue suit, made famous by the X-Men comics.
Jackman isn’t the only star making a Marvel return as Jennifer Garner is set to reprise her role as Elektra in Deadpool 3 as well. She joins Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Kapicic as Colossus, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Rob Delaney as Peter, Karan Soni as Dopinder, and Leslie Uggams as Blind Al.
Deadpool 3 had been aiming for a May 2024 release, but the closure could result in a setback on that date depending on how long the strikes last. With the two guilds united, they now have a lot more clout – though Hollywood studios are reportedly planning to wait out the strike until at least October.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.