Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy revealed in their Deadpool & Wolverine director’s commentary (via Games Radar) that the film’s ending was changed thanks to a note from Blake Lively and less than two days of reshoots. Lively appeared in the film as the voice of Ms. Deadpool. Reynolds and Lively have been married since 2012 and have four children together.
“We only reshot the film for a day and a half, which we’re very proud of,” Reynolds said. “These types of films usually involve weeks of reshoots. But this speech by Matthew (Macfadyen) is one of the clips we reshot. And it’s amazing.”
In the original ending of Deadpool & Wolverine, the two superheroes save the world by destroying the Time Ripper but their fate is never in doubt. The heroes immediately survive the events and live to see another day. Reshoots for the sequel modified the scene so that it appears that Deadpool and Wolverine are sacrificing themselves and dying in order to destroy the Time Ripper. Their fate is unknown as Macfadyen’s character, Paradox, gives an impassioned speech that is eventually interrupted by the heroes’ surprise return, all while the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” blares on the soundtrack.
“And credit where credit’s due. ‘It used to be that there was no suspense, that the power chamber exploded, and our heroes survived,’ Levy said of the scene change. ‘And it was Blake Lively who said to us: ‘You know, I’ve been with you all through this movie.’ I want to sit in fear of their loss. Let me be in this place of suspense so that the triumph of their survival is more emotional and profound.
“That was an observation for Blake that really opened up a new way of thinking about that part of the movie and that’s why we reshot it… and that’s where the payoff is so much more satisfying,” Levy added.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the second highest-grossing film of 2024 so far with $1.3 billion worldwide, also making it the biggest R-rated release in history. The film’s success continued on Disney+, where it garnered 19.4 million views in its first six days of release. These numbers make Marvel the most-watched live-action film on Disney+ or Hulu since the live-action release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in early 2023.
Both the theatrical cut of “Deadpool & Wolverine” and the director’s commentary version are available for streaming on Disney+.