Moviegoers have been waiting a long time for the return of Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, but they can take comfort knowing Deadpool and Wolverine is now just a little under two months away from hitting the 2024 release schedule. The upcoming Marvel movie that’s finally delivered a proper team-up between Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was directed by Shawn Levy, who previously worked with both actors. Ahead of Deadpool 3’s arrival though, word’s come in that this might not necessarily be the end of Levy’s time in the MCU, as he’s reportedly in the running for an even bigger Marvel movie.
According to Deadline, Levy is in early conversations to direct Avengers 5, which was previously known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The outlet has heard that the filmmaker has received the latest Avengers 5 script penned by Michael Waldron, who was hired to write the project last November. That said, Levy apparently hasn’t given an answer on if he’s willing to come aboard, and Marvel Studios is meeting with other directors while they wait for him to decide.
One possible obstacle for Shawn Levy to sit in the Avengers 5 director’s chair is that he already has a number of projects lined up. We know that Stranger Things Season 5 sees him resuming his executive producing duties and directing some of the final episodes, and he also has his own Star Wars movie in the works. Additionally, he and Ryan Reynolds clearly can’t get enough of working together, as the duo that previously worked together on Free Guy and The Adam Project are reuniting for a boy band reunion comedy, as well as an international heist comedy for Netflix, although it’s not clear yet if Levy will direct the former or solely produce.
The man is clearly not lacking in ways to keep busy, but this is Avengers 5 we’re talking about, and let’s not forget that its predecessor, Avengers: Endgame, was once the highest-grossing movie of all time and now holds the #2 spot behind Avatar. This would be an enormous opportunity for Shawn Levy, so maybe he can rearrange his schedule in order to accomodate the next Avengers movie or perhaps drop one of his upcoming projects to make room for it. On the other hand, perhaps he got his fill of the superhero genre with Deadpool and Wolverine, and now he wants to turn his attention elsewhere.
Avengers 5’s original director, Destin Daniel Cretton, dropped off the project shortly before Michael Waldron came aboard, but he remains involved with the MCU through the upcoming Marvel TV show Wonder Man and the in-development Shang-Chi sequel. As far as why Avengers 5 is no longer called The Kang Dynasty, Jonathan Majors was fired from the role after his guilty verdict in December. Now it’s unclear what the character’s future holds in store, i.e. if Kang will be recast or retired in some way and a new villain will take lead on the next Avengers movie and possibly Secret Wars too.
We’ll keep our ears open for any update on this Shawn Levy job opportunity, but in the meantime, keep visiting CinemaBlend for more Deadpool and Wolverine coverage, and use your Disney+ subscription to view nearly all of the Marvel movies in order and the tie-in TV shows.