With the sheer amount of A-list cameos in the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie, you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a real chance the biggest pop star in the world might have shown up. And that’s certainly what fans were speculating about in the run-up to the new Marvel blockbuster starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. With the rumour mill in overdrive ahead of the movie’s release, Ryan sought to put an end to speculation that his good pal Taylor Swift might be making an appearance.
“There are rumours all about all these insane cameos that may or may not be in the movie,” Jimmy Fallon said on a recent episode of The Tonight Show before mumbling: “Taylor Swift.”
“I wish!” Ryan replied. “Taylor, you know, if I ever stop, she’d make a good Deadpool. She’s funny. Funny!” Now, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy has insisted that the pop sensation was never involved in the project.
“It was so very loud,” the director told Entertainment Weekly of the various rumours. Swifties had wondered if the Down Bad singer would be appearing as either Dazzler or Lady Deadpool.
“I definitely had moments where I was worried I would disappoint people when they realised Taylor as Dazzler was not in the movie, but there’s no controlling the internet and rumours spread like wildfire,” he added. Shawn went on to insist that it was “never a conversation”, explaining: “It was never even a seed of a discussion.
“Obviously, Ryan and Blake, and myself, to a far lesser extent, have our own relationships in real life with Taylor. But, yeah, those rumours were loud and slightly baffling, but nothing I said or did was going to make them quiet down until this movie came out.”
It didn’t help quell rumours when Taylor’s friendship with Ryan, Blake Lively and Hugh Jackman was on full display as they watched Travis Kelce play in an NFL game last year. But the singer did take the time to praise her pal Ryan’s new movie with a sweet tribute on her Instagram Stories.
“Over the past few years, I have watched one of my best friends on this planet pour every bit of his heart, soul, sweat, time, energy, jokes, pain, joy, rebellion, darkness, and magic into this film,” she wrote. “He’s created the best work of his life, and this film feels like an actual joy portal, a wild escape from reality, and an abs sandwich. I don’t know how he did it.” “But that’s just Hugh [Jackman] for you!” she teased.
While Taylor was nowhere to be seen in the new movie, another pop star was involved in a slightly more low-key way.
It turns out Ryan and director Shawn met in person with Madonna to ask for permission to feature her iconic 1989 single Like A Prayer in the movie. Speaking during an interview with SiriusXM radio show, Shawn explained: “It did involve a personal visit to Madonna, where we showed Madonna the sequence where Like a Prayer would be used.”
