**By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY**
Fans are thrilled to see Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and they can thank Ryan Reynolds for making it happen.
After portraying Wolverine for two decades, Jackman, 55, had bid farewell to the character with 2017's “Logan.” However, seeing his Canadian friend Ryan Reynolds create the “Deadpool” movies piqued his interest in a "whole different playground," as he mentioned in a joint interview. Jackman felt he had danced all the dances he could as Wolverine, likening it to being at a nightclub with no more songs left to dance to.
“Nobody's going to nightclubs for the songs, Hugh,” Reynolds, 47, jokes.
Jackman laughs and asks, “I was the only one going to dance?”
“Yep, just you,” Reynolds quips.
This playful banter, filled with Reynolds' witty remarks and Jackman's hearty laughs, translates well into their on-screen chemistry in “Deadpool & Wolverine” (now in theaters). This film marks the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts for Reynolds’ talkative mercenary Deadpool and Jackman’s brooding Wolverine.
The movie brings a much-anticipated boost of excitement to the MCU, especially since Disney acquired the rights to Deadpool, Wolverine, and other characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four from 20th Century Fox in 2019. Fans are eager for this new adventure, and the film is projected to open with over $160 million domestically, potentially surpassing the original “Deadpool’s” $132.4 million record for R-rated movies set in 2016. Director Shawn Levy believes it could be a game-changing moment.
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