Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy confirms that Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth will remain foul and violent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during an exclusive interview with Collider’s own Steven Weintraub for the Night at the Museum animated sequel, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again.

While Deadpool 3 has been in early development for a couple of years, Reynolds only released an official announcement for the sequel last September. At the time, he confirmed Hugh Jackman would also return as Wolverine, a part he played through the entire X-Men film universe at Fox. Naturally, we are all very excited about Jackman’s return. Even more so because every report confirms that Deadpool will remain R-rated in the MCU, respecting the character’s irreverent tradition.

Some might still wonder if Marvel Studios will really release a superhero movie that’s not rated PG-13. Still, from Levy’s words, we can be sure the film he’s developing with Reynolds and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is very adult-oriented. As Levy puts it:

“We are writing, rewriting, developing, prepping ‘Deadpool’ every day now. It is such a blast to laugh every day. It is so delicious to hear and write and come up with these scenes where people are just talking foul. And the violence is in your face and hardcore, and it's very much a ‘Deadpool’ movie. And it has Logan in it. And it has Wolverine in it. It's too fun. I'm having so much fun, and I haven't even hit the shooting floor yet. [...] I have to say, developing a ‘Deadpool’ movie is one of the most fun creative experiences of my life because it's not just that it's rated R. It's that it's so filled with self-awareness, and that makes in-writing very, very fun in a way that is unique to that franchise.”

ryan-reynolds-hugh-jackman-deadpool-3-feature
Image Via Ryan Reynolds/Twitter

RELATED: Ryan Reynolds on Getting Hugh Jackman Back For 'Deadpool 3' [Exclusive]

That does sound like the Deadpool we know and love. And since Levy still regrets cutting The Internship, so it would go from R-Rated to PG-13, we can be confident the director won’t make the same mistake again. Levy told us:

“One of the few regrets in my career is that I got strong-armed into recutting The Internship from an R to a PG-13. I still regret it because the R-rated version of Vince [Vaughn] and Owen [Wilson] in ‘The Internship’ was way better. And the me of today would not have succumbed like the me of 20, whatever, 12 years ago.”

When Will Deadpool 3 Start Filming?

One of the things people are curious about is when the Deadpool sequel will start filming, especially with the November 8, 2024 release date fast approaching. Weintraub heard Deadpool 3 was going to start filming in May and asked Levy about it. He replied:

"On or about. Yep. The truth is the more digitally CG-heavy a movie is, the longer time you need in post. But obviously it's the first Deadpool movie in the MCU. There's going to be no lack of visual effects. But it's also a North Star priority for Ryan and I to keep Deadpool raw, gritty, grounded in the ways that those movies have been and that all of us love.”

Check out our exclusive interview with Reynolds about bringing Jackman back to the franchise below and look for more on Deadpool 3 as we hear it.