Deadpool 3 shuts down production indefinitely

It's already been five years since Ryan Reynolds last brought Deadpool to our screens, but fans might now have to wait even longer for his return as the movie has shut down production indefinitely.

The shutdown comes in the wake of the announcement yesterday (13 July) that the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) would be joining Hollywood writers on strike.

Though a lot of actors have joined writers on the picket line in recent months, the latest move marks the first time in 63 years that Hollywood writers and actors are striking at the same time.

Twentieth Century Fox

Actors jumped into action after the announcement, with the stars of Oppenheimer, including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh, leaving the movie's premiere in London.

Deadpool 3 is just one of the productions impacted by the strike, with the creators having stopped filming as actors take to the picket line.

The film was set to arrive in theatres in less than a year's time, on 3 May, 2024, but with the production now halted indefinitely, it's unclear whether the release date will be impacted.

Around 160,000 performers, including actors, hosts and DJs, are represented by the SAG-AFTRA union, which shared its decision to strike after failure to reach a new agreement on contracts.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, said in a statement: "Today, we embark on a new important chapter in our unions history.

"Earlier this morning, the SAG-AFTRA national board convened following four weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers in a meeting, because AMPTP remains unwilling to offer a fair deal on key issues essential to protecting the livelihoods of working actors and performers.

"SAG AFTRA as national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers."

The Deadpool 3 shutdown comes just days after fans of the film were treated to a first look at the upcoming instalment, with images showing Reynolds suited up as Deadpool and his longtime frenemy Hugh Jackman decked out in his Wolverine suit.

Twitter/@deadpoolmovie / 20th Century Fox

Reynolds hasn't commented on the strike at the time of writing (14 July), though he's previously shared his excitement for Jackman to join him in the movie series, telling Collider it was 'beyond any dream I would ever be audacious enough to have'.

Hopefully fans won't have to wait too much longer than expected to see that dream become a reality.