The upcoming Deadpool 3 is reportedly bringing back Logan's partner in crime. Reliable leaker and industry insider @DanielRPK on X (formerly Twitter) had previously revealed that Dafne Keen, who stars in Logan as a young Laura, will be playing X-23 in the upcoming flick, which is Marvel's only theatrical release in 2024.
However, the actors' strike was believed to have stopped the casting discussions. Considering that the strike is now over, there may have been advancements to Dafne Keen reprising her iconic role as Laura Kinney. If scooper @DanielRPK is right, Keen appears to have reached an agreement, and her schedule has now made it possible for her to feature in the Merc with a Mouth's third adventure.
Deadpool 3 will reportedly feature a grown-up Laura Kinney as X-23
Unluckily, Ryan Reynolds' character, Wade Wilson, had minimal interaction with the X-men in the first two Deadpool films. This was caused by financial constraints; however, since Fox and Disney have now combined, speculation has been rife over who will be in Deadpool 3.
Seasoned leaker @DanielRPK on X provides one such casting report. The source claimed that Dafne Keen will play Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, in Deadpool 3. In early 2023, it was speculated that Marvel officially started talks with Keen to feature in Deadpool's third installment just before the commencement of the 2023 actors' strike.
It's currently unclear what Dafne Keen's X-23 role will be in the upcoming installment of the Merc with a Mouth's solo flick. Dafne Keen was last seen in Logan, a 2017 live-action film directed by James Mangold, and has not played the role of Laura since. In an interview with ComicBook in 2020, Keen had said:
"I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high in case it doesn't happen, but I really do hope it does because I loved playing Laura. She holds a very special place in my heart, and she's an incredible character.
"And to be fair, the whole Deadpool 3 situation really, really made me happy because, obviously, when Disney bought Fox, I suspected they weren't going to do any more R-rated films, but then greenlighting Deadpool is a great sign for other R-rated movies."
Speculation that Keen was in talks to portray an older version of her X-23 character in the upcoming installment of Deadpool before the strikes began has also received support from another insider, CWGST, via X. Now that the actor's strike has ended, Keen has reached a deal, allowing her to appear in the new Deadpool if DanielRPK's report is to be trusted.
Deadpool 3 is set to arrive in theatres on July 26, 2024.