Ryan Reynolds could be set to miss the start of Wrexham's return to League Two courtesy of fulfilling commitments on the latest Deadpool movie, which comes out next year.
The Red Dragons secured promotion to the fourth-tier for the first time since 2008 in April after pipping Notts County in an enthralling title race. A 3-1 victory over Boreham Wood secured their place in the Football League as Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrated winning the National League title at the second time of asking.
As a reward for promotion, Wrexham's co-owners treated the first-team squad with a trip to Las Vegas following their final league game of the season at Torquay. However, upon the end of that trip, Reynolds and McElhenney, as well as first-team manager Phil Parkinson, have been busy preparing for the new season.
But, unfortunately for Reynolds, the 46-year-old may have to miss the start of the campaign. This is due to filming commitments while working on the latest Deadpool movie. The movie will be released in cinemas in November 2024 but filming is well underway, with Reynolds playing Wade Wilson/Deadpool in the film.
According to the Daily Mail, Reynolds is thought to be 'slightly annoyed' that he cannot make the beginning of the season on August 5 as Wrexham make their long-awaited return to League Two. Fans of the north Wales club have had to wait 15 years to play in the Football League after a turbulent time in non-league.
They managed to get to the National League play-off eliminator in Reynolds' first full season at the Racecourse Ground, but the Red Dragons fell short - losing 5-4 to Grimsby. Wrexham managed to get one better in 2022/23, with Parkinson guiding them back to the fourth-tier.
There were jubilant scenes after the full-time whistle against Boreham Wood as thousands of fans flooded the pitch, while Reynolds and McElhenney were caught in tears in the stands. Wrexham also celebrated with a trophy lift, and then 10 days later, paraded the town to celebrate a famous success.
Work has already been started for next season, meanwhile, as Parkinson tries to ensure his squad are as competitive as possible heading into the new campaign. The Red Dragons released 11 players as part of their retained list, while they confirmed that they were in talks with Ben Foster over a new contract.
Wrexham have been linked with a number of players this summer. They range from ex-Premier League players to well-known Football League stars. Morten-Gamst Pedersen, Gareth Bale and Jonny Williams are amongst those that have been tipped to move to the north Welsh outfit.
However, Parkinson confirmed last month he is expecting only one or two arrivals. He told GOAL: "There is always a lot of speculation every summer about players that we are looking at. We are just going about our business and looking at targets, but bearing in mind the fact that we have already got a strong squad to go into pre-season."
Parkinson added: "We are not in a summer where we need seven or eight players because the squad is strong. Of course, ideally, we would like to improve in one or two areas and we are looking to do that but my feeling is it might take a bit of time."