Deadpool 3 has been shut down indefinitely

It’s been confirmed that the production of Deadpool 3 has been indefinitely halted, just weeks after the film’s release date was brought forward.

In case you missed it, it was revealed back in June that Deadpool 3’s release date has been moved forward by six months, and that the titular antihero’s MCU debut will now be happening on 3 May, 2024 instead of 8 November, 2024. Shortly after this, we got our first look at both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the film, with the latter fully suited up as Wolverine, and rocking a costume inspired by the mutant’s classic bright yellow suit. He has sleeves this time, though, which is a very important difference, and seemingly no mask to hide his face (a huge win for Jackman fans).

Check out this weird electronic Deadpool head in action below.

Now though, as Variety reports, production of the upcoming threequel has been put on hold, and for good reason - the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. SAG-AFTRA represents over 160,000 actors, hosts, announcers and other media professionals, and today (14 July), actors began striking to fight for both better pay and improved working conditions.

Currently, it’s not known how long the strike could last for - Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, said that “we discussed what it would cost if it went for six months, so we’re looking for the long haul” (via The Independent).

The SAG-AFTRA strike has commenced as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike continues past the two-month mark. Multiple MCU projects, including Daredevil: Born Again, were already set to be impacted as a result of the latter.

Right now, it’s not known if the newly-announced release date for Deadpool 3 will be affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike - we’ll just have to watch this space.