It appears Madonna might be finding her way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a director.
After contacting the Queen of Pop for permission to use her 1989 single ‘Like a Prayer’ in Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds revealed she “gave a great note” for the sequence that quickly ended up in the final cut.
“Also, let’s preface it with the fact that — Madonna doesn’t just license the song, and particularly that song has not been licensed,” he said on SiriusXM. “So it was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it… We went over and met with her and showed her how it was being used and where and why.”
Director Shawn Levy admitted “it did feel like we were meeting royalty,” as Reynolds said the meeting “was one of the great thrills of my life.”
Reynolds added, “And she gave a great note. My God, she watched it and, I’m not kidding, she was like, ‘You need to do this, this, and this in this moment.’ And damn it, if she wasn’t like spot-on and right.”
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Marvel / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Madonna previously directed the films Filth and Wisdom (2008) and W.E. (2011), the latter winning her track ‘Masterpiece’ a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
“We literally went into a new recording session within 48 hours to do this one note,” said Levy. “She had only one note, and it was a great note, and it made the sequence better.”
Levy explained that Madonna’s son “is a big Deadpool fan, and she mentioned that that definitely was an advantage” in securing her song for the movie, which premieres July 26 in theaters.
The third title in the Deadpool franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine reunites Reynolds and Hugh Jackman‘s eponymous Marvel heroes after 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The team-up was teased in a meta post-credits scene from Deadpool 2 (2018).