Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige Initially Rejected Deadpool & Wolverine Team-Up Pitch

Marvel Studios is amidst an epic media tour of friendship as the stars of the forthcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine continue to run wild in Asia. Along with the film's director, Shawn Levy, stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman ditched their heroic costumes for some hilarious moments posted to social media, displaying their friendship akin to their characters' counterparts ahead of the film's release in July 2024.

Recently stopping over in Shanghai, China, Levy, Reynolds, and Jackman held a fan event, at which Reynolds revealed some interesting details about the development of the forthcoming MCU film. This involved the Deadpool star revealing the multiple pitches made for Deadpool's third theatrical outing, which included his eventual team-up with the X-Man stalwart Wolverine, an idea that was first rejected by Marvel Studios' president, Kevin Feige.

Deadpool and Wolverine have a storied history dating back to Marvel Comics, which finally makes its way to the big screens this July in the forthcoming film, Deadpool & Wolverine. Fans have much anticipated the film since its official announcement at D23, which saw actor Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine, a character he initially retired from portraying following the release of Logan in 2017.

At the fan event to promote the film (h/t ComicBook.com), Ryan Reynolds commented on how the idea for a Deadpool and Wolverine film was pitched to Marvel Studios' president, Kevin Feige, which was first made as early as 2016 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. According to Reynolds, this was reignited two years later in a meeting with Feige, in which he explicitly stated that he wanted to make a Deadpool and Wolverine as he " just want these two together on screen."

Reynolds added that Feige had told him to "Forget it. It's never going to happen," which didn't deter the Deadpool actor as he and director Shawn Levy continued working on pitches, hoping it may happen. "And I said, 'Okay, that's fine.' As we marched inexorably forward, Shawn and I were coming up with different pitches and different ideas, and we pitched Marvel everything you could imagine — little movies, big movies, anything — and it wasn't working out."

And luckily for Reynolds, it worked as the third Deadpool film was officially announced, and shortly after that, he did the unthinkable. In a video posted to Reynolds' YouTube channel in September 2022, he asked Jackman if he could return as Wolverine, to which he annoyingly responded yes, which had fans extremely excited for his next outing as the iconic X-Men member, Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine is scheduled for a global release in theatres on 26th July 2024 as the media tour continues to take over social media. In related news, a crossover media event with Marvel Studios takes over Marvel Snap in its forthcoming themed season set to debut on 9th July 2024.