Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy has thanked fans for fanning the flames of a potential Taylor Swift cameo so hard on the internet, it distracted from the Marvel movie's real A-list surprises.
In a new interview with Variety, the filmmaker, whose works include Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Stranger Things, described the theory that Swift would appear as X-Men popstar Dazzler (and later, Lady Deadpool) as "one of the loudest rumors that came out of nowhere".
"It was never true," he confirmed. "Thank you, internet, for building such a smokescreen of rumors and half-truths so that no one ever knew what was going to happen."
In the end, it was Ryan Reynolds' real-life wife Blake Lively who played Lady Deadpool and, well, Dazzler didn't show up at all. Though the superhero flick boasted a ton of other shocking cameos, including Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Wesley Snipes as Blade.
"There may or may not have been some subterfuge and misdirections on the internet or in-person in order to protect the secrecy," executive producer Wendy Jacobson previously told GamesRadar+ and Inside Total Film, when we asked how Marvel kept certain things from leaking.
"I can neither confirm nor deny any cameos in this film but I will say, in terms of characters that may or may not appear, it was always important to us that nothing in this movie feels like a gimmick," Jacobson, who previously worked on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, continues. "Anyone showing up has a crucial story purpose or a beginning, middle, and end as a character arc. It was definitely a collaborative process of seeing who fit in and who didn't."
Starring Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Deadpool and Wolverine sees the titular merc and mutant make their MCU debuts, as they team-up to save the former's friends and family from a TVA-related disaster. Despite one being a Logan fanboy and the other a guilt-ridden hero harboring a dark secret, their bickering isn't the only thing that threatens the mission, either, once they get tangled up in the dastardly plans of Professor X's evil twin sister Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). It's in cinemas now.
For more, check out all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way, as well as our guide to how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
