Marvel recently announced their entire Phase 4 lineup for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The event tore the roof off of San Diego Comic-Con, with the announcement of movies such as Thor: Love and Thunder and even a Blade reboot. But why didn't they announce Deadpool 3? Director David Leitch, who helmed Deadpool 2, unfortunately doesn't know, but he's confident Ryan Reynolds will return as Wade Wilson down the line.

David Leitch has been making the rounds promoting his latest movie Hobbs & Shaw. During a recent interview, he was asked point-blank if he knows what's going on with the future of Deadpool, now that the Disney/Fox merger is complete. The filmmaker admitted he doesn't and that he's just giving everyone the time they need. Speaking further, Leitch had this to say.

"I know Marvel announced their slate and I think people were like, 'Deadpool's not on it.' I would never say never. And I think, obviously, he's such a beloved character and it's such a compelling world people want to go back. And I think they will find a way to do it. But I'm just being patient and let everybody take a breath and see how it works for them in the new Marvel, Disney world. And, hopefully, I'll get the call. And that would be cool."

Since Disney purchased most of Fox, and since Fox held the rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises, which includes Deadpool, Marvel Studios, also owned by Disney, now effectively controls those characters. Hence, reboots of the Fantastic Four and X-Men were announced at SDCC. Yet, that only leaves more questions about Deadpool 3.

It's previously been indicated that Disney will allow for an R-rated version of the franchise to continue. Still, that's something that needs to be figured out. Do they want Ryan Reynolds to join the MCU as Wade Wilson? Do they want to keep things separate? David Leitch feels bringing him into the fold would present quite a few unique opportunities.

"What's great about Deadpool, like you kind of just said, you can put him in with any one of those characters, or an ensemble of those characters, and it just sort of magnifies what you're doing. It adds another layer. So that's probably one aspect that they are entertaining, and hopefully they are entertaining more ideas as well... And, honestly, I'm sure there are people who want it more than me, but it would be hard-pressed to find them. I love that world. I love working with Ryan. I love that character, Deadpool. So, fingers crossed we get to bring another installment to life."

To date, the two Deadpool movies have grossed a combined $1.56 billion at the global box office. It really was the one thing working under the Marvel banner at Fox. As such, one would expect Disney to further cash in, as there is certainly money to be made. Hopefully, they'll get around to it sooner rather than later, perhaps as part of the Phase 5 lineup. This news comes to us via Uproxx.