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Madonna made a surprise appearance on the red carpet for the world premiere of new Marvel film Deadpool & Wolverine.
The film marks the sarcastic superhero’s first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and features Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, and Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine after his character was supposedly killed off in Logan in 2017. A trailer for the movie’s release broke records, racking up 365 million views in 24 hours.
Directed by Night at the Museum maker Shawn Levy, it follows the superheroes as they begrudgingly team up to defeat a threat to their home universe.
The 65-year-old singer was joined at the event, held at New York’s David H Koch Theatre, by her eleven-year-old twin daughters.
Wearing a black blazer, boots, and shades, the star posed with Reynolds and Jackman, and took pictures with her children.
“This woman made dreams come true,” wrote Reynolds as he reshared a photo of him posing with the music legend on the night. “What a night. Unforgettable.”
Madonna’s special appearance comes in support of the film, after she gave her blessing for the team to use her 1989 hit single, “Like a Prayer”.
She shared a video to TikTok ahead of her attendance, as she danced to Tinashe’s viral “Nasty Girl” song remixed with the background to Britney Spears’s “Crazy”, in her premiere outfit.
Levy revealed that the crew had made a “personal visit” to the star to request her permission to use the track, which caused controversy when it was first released, as it offended the Catholic church and featured images of the Ku Klux Klan burning crosses.
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“It did involve a personal visit to Madonna, where we showed Madonna the sequence where ‘Like a Prayer’ would be used,” Levy said in an interview with Andy Cohen on SiriusXFM.
“Also, let’s preface it with the fact that they don’t licence – that Madonna doesn’t just licence the song, particularly that song,” Reynolds added.
“It was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it… We went over and met with her and and sort of showed her how it was being used, and where, and why.”
And Madonna not only gave her blessing, but also provided guidance on how the music could best be used in line with the sequence.
“She gave a great note,” Reynolds said. “She watched it, and I’m not kidding, [she said], ‘You need to do this.’ And damn it, if she wasn’t like spot on.”
Levy revealed, “We literally went into a new recording session within 48 hours to do this note… It made the sequence better,”
A number of notable music references are made throughout the movie, with a particular emphasis on millennial pop culture, including songs by NSYNC and Avril Lavigne.
“Sk8er Boi” singer Lavigne was also in attendance at the premiere.
Deadpool & Wolverine will be released in cinemas on 25 July.
