Movies

Deadpool 3 pauses filming due to SAG-AFTRA strike

Deadpool 3 has paused production due to the actors' strike, which officially began on Friday.

Published on July 14, 2023 12:25PM EDT

Deadpool 3 has halted production following yesterday's SAG-AFTRA strike announcement, EW can confirm. On July 14, actors announced they will join the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on picket lines.

The Marvel movie stopped filming just days after it unveiled its first look at Hugh Jackman wearing the classic yellow Wolverine suit alongside Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. It was also recently revealed that Jennifer Garner would reprise her role as Elektra. She previously played the sai-wielding assassin in 2003's Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck, as well as the follow-up film Elektra.

Deadpool 3 previously had a May 3, 2024, release date attached. With production at a standstill, the timing of that release is now likely in jeopardy. It is far from the only major film that will be forced to shift its timeline if actors remain on the picket line for any extended period of time.

SAG-AFTRA, a union representing more than 160,000 performers, hit the end of its contract on June 30, but had a 12-day extension to continue negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a group that includes Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery. That extension ended at midnight on July 12 without resolution.

The members of SAG-AFTRA — including actors, announcers, DJs, stunt performers, broadcast journalists, dancers, program hosts, singers, voiceover artists, and other performers — are looking to improve work conditions and compensation in an industry upended by streaming and facing the "existential threat" of artificial intelligence.

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