LOGAN Director James Mangold Discusses His Complicated Feelings Around Wolverine Returning in DEADPOOL 3

James Mangold directed the superhero movie Logan, which was the conclusion of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine character from the X-Men movie franchise. The film has gone down as a fan-favorite. It’s so well-made, and it tells a beautiful story. It also tells a very final story, which is why some fans were surprised to hear of Wolverine’s return in the upcoming cross-franchise sequel, Deadpool 3. That doesn’t keep fans from being super stoked about it though!

As for those who have mixed feelings about the crossover continuation, James Mangold is at the top of that list. He recently sat down with Variety and explained that a part of him does wish Logan had remained Jackman's final performance as the beloved superhero. 

"I can't say that there's a part of me that doesn't wish that we'd let it be. But there was always going to be another Wolverine. There could be a baby Wolverine and a cartoon Wolverine. As much liquid as they can squeeze out of that rag, they're going to try to. I don't measure my success on a movie like Logan with whether we ended the conversation. I ended my conversation." 

He took a more positive spin on the return of Wolverine in a recent interview with ComicBook, where he explained what he’d like to see when Jackman teams up with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool:

"A really fun 48 Hours style buddy picture with those two. To me, that was always... We discussed this way back in the day, Ryan, Hugh and I, and it was always this idea that you could do some kind of Walter Hill, gritty, or Midnight Run. These two, somehow on a road trip together would be magical."

I hope the movie is everything James Mangold and the rest of us fans are wanting to see. My bet is that it will be. Deadpool 3 is expected to hit theaters on May 3, 2024.