Despite rumours to the contrary, Shawn Levy has confirmed that Taylor Swift was never in talks for a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine.
- READ MORE: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ review: a sarky, time-skipping superhero send-up
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director was asked how he feels in hindsight about the rumours that were going around in the run-up to the movie’s release.
“It was so very loud,” he said. “I definitely had moments where I was worried I would disappoint people when they realized Taylor as Dazzler was not in the movie, but there’s no controlling the internet, and rumors spread like wildfire. It was never a conversation. It was never even a seed of a discussion. Obviously, Ryan [Reynolds] and Blake [Lively], and myself, to a far lesser extent, have our own relationships in real life with Taylor. But, yeah, those rumors were loud and slightly baffling, but nothing I said or did was going to make them quiet down until this movie came out.”
Swift has been rumoured to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for some time now, and there’s been a lot of speculation over X-Men character Dazzler in particular. With X-Men characters featuring in Deadpool & Wolverine, a number of fans guessed that she might appear either as Dazzler or as Lady Deadpool.
Also adding fuel to the rumours was Swift’s friendship with Reynolds and Lively – Reynolds plays Deadpool, while Lively voices Lady Deadpool in the movie – while the couple, Levy, and Reynolds’ co-star Hugh Jackman all attended a Kansas City Chiefs football game with Swift last year.
While Swift, who’s currently on her ‘Eras’ tour, may not be in the movie herself, she did pay tribute on Instagram, writing on her 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,”
“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.”
She then poked fun at Reynolds, adding, “But that’s just Hugh [Jackman] for you!” rather than mentioning her friend.
Meanwhile, Swift leads the way in nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) with 10 altogether, including the prestigious Video of the Year award.