The Merc with a Mouth goes by his own rules, and nobody can stop him — not even Disney themselves. Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy has confirmed that the movie will remain true to its gritty and violent nature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), allaying fears that the House of Mouse won’t stick to the franchise’s R-rating after its acquisition of the superhero juggernaut.

“We are writing, rewriting, developing, prepping Deadpool every day now. It is such a blast to laugh every day. It is so delicious to hear and write and come up with these scenes where people are just talking foul,” Levy said in an interview with Collider. “And the violence is in your face and hardcore, and it’s very much a Deadpool movie. And it has Logan in it. And it has Wolverine in it. It’s too fun. I’m having so much fun, and I haven’t even hit the shooting floor yet.”

“I have to say, developing a Deadpool movie is one of the most fun creative experiences of my life because it’s not just that it’s rated R. It’s that it’s so filled with self-awareness, and that makes in-writing very, very fun in a way that is unique to that franchise,” he added.

Deadpool 3 has been in early development for a couple of years, with actor Ryan Renolds making an official announcement in 2019. In the following year, reports surfaced that it’ll be MCU’s first R-rated film, and the news was later confirmed by writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who reinforced that the mercenary’s MCU debut won’t be “Disney-fied”.

ALSO READ: Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, MCU debut coming September 2024

Since then, every other report has confirmed that the movie will respect the character’s irreverent tradition, but it’s nice and reassuring to have confirmation from Levy himself. The director, after all, still regrets cutting The Internship to fit into the PG-13 rating, so he’s determined to not repeat the same mistake here.

“One of the few regrets in my career is that I got strong-armed into recutting The Internship from an R to a PG-13. I still regret it because the R-rated version of Vince [Vaughn] and Owen [Wilson] in The Internship was way better,” explained Levy. “And the me of today would not have succumbed like the me of 20, whatever, 12 years ago.”

Deadpool 3 is slated for release on Nov 8, 2024 and will welcome Hugh Jackman back in his role as Wolverine. No story details have been revealed yet, but the breezy chemistry and chaotic energy between the two characters should make it a fun and interesting ride, especially with Wolverine’s addition allowing for a host of storytelling opportunities.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.