How Ryan Reynolds finally convinced Hugh Jackman to return as Wolverine for Deadpool 3

Ryan Reynolds has revealed how he convinced Hugh Jackman to make his return as Wolverine for Deadpool 3.

Jackman has played Wolverine for over two decades, starting with X-Men and finishing with Logan, which was released in 2017.

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The character's arc and ultimate death in Logan led many to speculate that his time playing the mutant was over. Jackman himself even expressed apprehension about returning, but in 2022 Reynolds confirmed that his pal would return for the next Deadpool movie.

Logan and Wade Wilson were featured in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the less said about that, the better.

Reynolds says it was the promise of doing something completely new with the character of Wolverine that led to Jackman agreeing to come back.

"He and I are both really excited. We've wanted to do this for a decade," Reynolds told Entertainment Tonight.

"So, to have this opportunity now is, I think actually weirdly, the perfect time... I never stopped (trying to recruit Jackman). I was just pestering him like a gnat over the last many years. I actually just think... I believe in timing, as much as hard work and luck and all those intersections that are supposed to meet, timing is a big one as well, and I think he was ready.

"I think he was excited and what we pitched him was enough of a divergence from the character that he knows and the character that he's left behind, that it gives him something completely new to play and something that he's really excited to do."

Reynolds previously joked that the original plan, years ago, for a Deadpool-Wolverine movie involved the pair going on a road trip.

Jackman to return as Wolverine

Jackman's return as Wolverine was confirmed via a hilarious social media post including Reynolds.