It's going to be a while before we see Ryan Reynolds back as the titular vigilante in Deadpool 3, but the long-awaited sequel will be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it finally arrives. Speaking about the project with Collider, Marvel head Kevin Feige provided a substantial update on the status of the project. Confirming its R rating, Feige also addressed the studio's plan to bring Wade Wilson into the MCU.

"It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan's overseeing a script right now... It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor. We've got a number of things we've already announced that we now have to make, but it's exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life."

With a number of Marvel projects already in the works, there's simply not going to be enough time in the year to shoot Deadpool 3 in 2021. Next year will be the earliest the sequel can begin filming, meaning it's not likely we'll see it hitting theaters until 2023 or later. In any case, screenwriters Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin will have a lot of time to make sure the script is just right, and bringing Deadpool into the MCU opens the door for all kinds of interesting crossover possibilities.

Currently, filming is underway for the MCU movies Thor: Love and Thunder and Spider-Man 3. Sequels to Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Marvel are also set to start shooting this year. Even more Marvel projects are in the works at Disney+ with a variety of MCU-set shows gearing up to begin production soon, like She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel. It's also worth noting that Reynolds could potentially appear in any one of these titles to establish Deadpool's introduction into the MCU.

Released in 2016, Deadpool starred Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, a wisecracking mercenary chasing the man who turned him into a mutant. In the 2018 sequel, Deadpool forms the X-Force to protect a teenage mutant from Cable, a genetically-enhanced super-soldier from the future. No plot details have yet been divulged about Deadpool 3.

There were some concerns from fans that Deadpool 3 would be toned down after the franchise was acquired by Disney. The first two movies were big hits with fans and were highly successful at the box office, setting records as two of the highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time. To scale the movies back to a PG-13 rating would seem unbefitting of the Deadpool movies at this point. Fortunately, it would appear that Kevin Feige and the brass at Disney have ultimately agreed.

The MCU will return very soon with the premiere of WandaVision on Disney+ on Jan. 15. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will follow by debuting on the streamer on March 19. On the big screen, Scarlett Johansson will be back in Black Widow on May 7 with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiering on July 9. This news comes to us from Collider.