Succession star Matthew Macfadyen is set to join the cast of the next installment of Deadpool, says Deadline, though further details about his upcoming role are still under wraps.
Deadpool 3, which is set to be released on November 8, 2024, will also star The Crown’s Emma Corrin and Hugh Jackman, who will be reprising his X-Men character Wolverine.
Macfadyen has previously starred in films including Robin Hood (2010), Anna Karenina (2012), The Assistant (2019) and more recently Operation Mincemeat (2021).
In February, Deadline announced that he will be starring in Holland, Michigan, an upcoming thriller from director Mimi Cave (Fresh), opposite Nicole Kidman.
Other than his lead role as ATN chairman Tom Wambsgans in Succession – for which he won an Emmy and a BAFTA in 2022 – Macfadyen has starred in the BBC’s Ripper Street (2012-2016), Starz’ The Pillars of the Earth (2010) and the BBC’s Spooks (2002-2004, 2011).
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter about the end of Succession, Macfadyen said, “It’s just been a really happy time... It’s also been great therapy for me because I could be excruciatingly embarrassing as Tom and not as Matthew.”
Deadpool is a story based on the Marvel Comic book character, who made its first appearance in 1991. A sort of antihero, Deadpool started out as a baddie, but has now switched sides: he’s associated with the X-Men, but spends just as much time antagoinising them and going on solo adventures.
The first and second films, which were released in 2016 and 2018, were both massive hits, making $783 million and $735 million respectively.
Reynolds not only stars as Deadpool, but is part of the core producing team of the film franchise. Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese are returning to write the script.
In an interview with SiriusXM in November, Reynolds said: “I don’t take it for granted. I get to work with not one, but two of my closest friends, Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman on that movie, and we are, quite literally, up to our necks right now in prep.”
In March, it was announced that Levy, who previously directed Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and Night at the Museum (2006), and who worked with Reynolds on Free Guy (2021) and The Adam Project (2022), was joining the third Deadpool installment as director.
“It’s going to be a blast... we are so excited,” said Reynolds. “We pitched the story to Hugh several days after he officially, finally, signed on, and we’re thrilled. I cannot wait to unleash that movie. But it’s a long road. I will only be doing Deadpool for the next two years.” He then teased that production would start just before summer.
