While picking up his “pen” for a first-person essay in Esquire magazine, Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy revealed he’d constructed an elaborate tribute to Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi for the upcoming superhero threequel. According to Levy, he’s recreated pivotal scenes from the Richard Marquand-directed classic in Deadpool 3, with an intense attention to detail.
“I vividly remember the scene in which Luke is hiding from Vader in the Emperor’s room and Vader gives the speech that ends with ‘If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps your sister will,'” Levy wrote in his guest feature for Esquire. “It was dead quiet [in the theater]. Pin-drop silence. Suddenly Vader has pushed the wrong button. Luke comes screaming out of the shadows and just goes to town in a light saber battle against Vader. The way that felt: The forty seconds of stillness from the audience, then the spectacle and emotion, is seared not just in my eyeballs but in my heart.”
As far as memorable film moments go, the above scene from Return of the Jedi left a lasting impression on Levy, undoubtedly shaping his filmmaking sensibilities. Only some directors are allowed to pay homage to the films that made them on as grand of a scale as Marvel’s Deadpool 3, and Levy aims to take full advantage of the opportunity.
“That’s the essence of the blockbuster,” Levy continued. “When the tone is singular, when the themes are resonant, when the experience is connective, when the audience is reminded that the world is far bigger than ourselves, it creates a forever memory. I think that’s beautiful.”
Speaking more about unleashing the power of the Force on Deadpool 3, Levy says he studied every shot in the Return of the Jedi scene to ensure absolute accuracy for his latest project. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Marquand might have blushed at the tribute if he were still with us.
“I’m now making ‘Deadpool 3,’ the production of which was paused because of the actors’ strike,” Levy said. “For one key scene in the movie, I said to my stunt and action team, ‘Guys, this is the Jedi moment.’ I pulled up that scene of Vader and Luke on my phone and restudied how it was photographed, how it was blocked, the framing, the tempo. The keen ‘Star Wars’ fan will see the shot in my ‘Deadpool’ movie that was inspired by a moment that I saw in a theater decades ago. That’s a forever memory. And that’s a treasure.”
The upcoming Deadpool sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively, will see the return of Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, and Rob Delaney as Peter. Deadpool 3 will also star Emma Corrin, who is expected to play the villain, and Matthew Macfadyen in an undisclosed role. The film also finds Jennifer Garner returning as Elektra for a “cameo-like” appearance. In addition to Garner’s Elektra, rumors say Ben Affleck was spotted on the Deadpool 3 set, leading fans to believe he’ll cameo alongside Garner as Daredevil. That said, Affleck’s participation is not confirmed.
“The experience that I’m currently having with Marvel on ‘Deadpool’ is showing me firsthand that it is indeed really possible to feel empowered and personal about making a movie within a universe that is bigger than any one film,” Levy said. “My ‘Deadpool’ movie is turning out to be exactly what Ryan [Reynolds] and I had hoped when we started off. So I’m going into the development of my “Star Wars” movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way.”
Are you excited to see Levy’s Return of the Jedi homage in Deadpool 3? Do you think the film will measure up to people’s expectations? Let us know in the comments below.