The Writers Guild of America has brought Hollywood to a standstill. However, Marvel has still decided to proceed with the filming of Deadpool 3 even without writers on set as the movie recently added the final cast members.

Deadpool actor Stefan Kapičić celebrated the start of principal photography with an Instagram post. The actor shared an image with the news "Confirmed" sticker on his Instagram story.

Marvel has reportedly decided to continue with the Deadpool 3 and Thunderbolts production schedules even while the writers’ strike is in effect. Marvel brought Zeb Wells on board to polish the script of the movie before the beginning of the strike.

However, the filming may be short-lived as The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is also going on strike at the end of June. The SAG-AFTRA is a labor union that represents over 160,000 film and television actors, and other media professionals worldwide. This new strike will effectively shut down production as the union negotiates a new deal with studios.

As an effect of the writers’ strike, Ryan Reynolds is reportedly not allowed to improvise lines while filming. Actors working on the set of Deadpool 3 have to follow the script of the letter. Reynolds will have to keep jokes to himself until the strike is over.

This will severely impact the flow of production as one of Deadpool’s most notable traits is constantly making fun of the things happening around him, which will make it difficult for Reynolds to film the entire thing. 

Having a big star such as Hugh Jackman in Deadpool 3 further complicates things. Jackman and Reynolds are long-time friends who have been close since working together in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and have on occasion tried to outwit each other on social media. This seemingly natural rapport between friends can be prone to improvisation during filming. Off-the-cuff remarks between the actors will expectedly be commonplace during filming but it isn’t allowed while writers’ are on strike.

Making Deadpool 3 without the screenwriters will be a daunting task. The James Bond franchise filmed Quantum of Solace during the last writers’ strike and the result was a garbled plot as writers weren’t on hand to tweak the script. Deadpool 3 can’t afford any mishaps at this point as Marvel has been struggling with the box-office performance of its previous movies.

Deadpool 3 has encountered several delays as the project was already in development as early as 2019 when the second movie was released. Disney’s acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox stalled the production of Deadpool 3. As the film is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the screenplay had to be rewritten before Marvel chief Kevin Feige gave it the green light.

We will have to wait and see how Deadpool 3 turns out as the strike continues. Marvel may opt to delay the release of the film if things get any worse and if the SAG-AFTRA does go on strike as well. Hopefully, all parties would find common ground and resolve their differences as soon as possible.

Deadpool 3 is scheduled to release on November 8, 2024.