Logan director James Mangold states that Wolverine's role in the upcoming Deadpool 3 is a sort of "prequel" to the X-Men film.
During an interview on Happy, Sad, Confused with Josh Horowitz, the filmmaker was asked if he found it disappointing that Hugh Jackman is once again playing Wolverine in Deadpool 3 because Logan was meant to be a sendoff for Jackman's iteration of the character. Mangold replied that he's not "meta," and that he doesn't think in terms of cinematic universes, only individual movies. However, he admitted that he sees Deadpool 3 taking place before Logan anyway, so it doesn't bother him. "If it works, it works. And it’s not like the new movie Hugh and Ryan [Reynolds] are working on takes place after Logan. So, in a sense, they’re just making a prequel, if you will."
In previous interviews, Mangold has expressed similar sentiments, saying that he's satisfied with Logan no matter what movies come after it. "I can't say that there's a part of me that doesn't wish that we'd let it be," Mangold said. "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 in a movie like Logan with whether we ended the conversation. I ended my conversation."
Deadpool 3 is scheduled to come out on May 3, 2024, although Marvel Studios has been changing its schedule due to production delays and the ongoing WGA strike. Unlike the previous two films, Deadpool 3 will take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will star both Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth and Jackman as the clawed mutant Wolverine. Jackman has also stated that his appearance in Deadpool 3 takes place before his character's death in Logan, although Reynolds called this version of Wolverine a "completely new" character. Some insiders have claimed that the movie's story involves the multiverse and that Deadpool and Wolverine will meet multiple variants of themselves.
Mangold's Logan came out in 2017 and follows an older Wolverine and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) as they navigate a bleak future where no known mutants have been born in decades. Logan eventually discovers a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), who was created from his mutant DNA by the villainous company Transigen. The movie revolves around Logan helping Laura escape Transigen's cybernetic Reavers while they search for a mutant enclave called Eden. There have been disputes about whether Logan takes place in a separate timeline, although Mangold said the events of the movie happen after X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Deadpool 3 arrives in cinemas on May 3, 2024.
Source: YouTube and TheDirect