20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Filming on Deadpool 3 has halted as the SAG-AFTRA strike begins and cast members join the Writers Guild of America members on the picket line. The Marvel sequel is one of the first major productions to be hit by the new strike.
The news of the halt to production comes just days after Deadpool 3 gave audiences a first look at the set and released a photo of stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman playing Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively. It was also recently revealed that Jennifer Garner would be appearing in the film as Elektra, having previously starred in the role in 2003’s Daredevil and the 2005 spin-off film Elektra.
Deadpool 3 reunites Reynolds with his Free Guy director Shawn Levy. The film will be the first series entry to be released by The Walt Disney Company after the studio acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. The Theatrical release of The Threequels is scheduled for May 3, 2024 – a goal that is now in jeopardy of the production stop.
When the WGA approved a strike order in May, television programs such as NBC’s Saturday Night Live and late-night talk shows were the first to shut down. Deadpool 3 had managed to survive the writers’ strike and continued production for the past few weeks. The sudden halt to filming is a foretaste of the industry-wide standstill that is now in store with film actors picketing lines.
The SAG-AFTRA union represents approximately 160,000 artists, including actors, announcers, hosts, DJs, stunt performers and broadcast journalists, all currently striving for fair pay and better working conditions in an ever-changing Hollywood landscape, fueled by streaming platforms and artificial intelligence is changed. SAG talks ended at midnight PT on July 12 after a 12-day extension period after the contracts were scheduled to expire on June 30.
Additional reporting by KJ Yossman.