Dafne Keen, who played X-23 in Logan, says Deadpool 3's confirmation makes her hopeful for other R-rated movies in the X-Men universe at Disney. Keen, currently starring as Lyra in His Dark Materials season 2 on HBO, burst on to the scene as a 12-year-old after holding her own alongside Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in Logan. Such was her strength in the role that Fox had plans for a solo spinoff featuring X-23, but that never materialized, and after Disney bought out the studio Keen herself said it was unlikely she'd return.
That was due to the assumption Disney wouldn't be keen on investing in R-rated superhero movies, given the studio's focus on family-friendly properties. However, the recent announcement that an R-rated Deadpool 3 is in the works at the studio, from a pair of Bob's Burgers writers, has made it clear Disney is willing to produce more adult-oriented fare if the material is popular enough. That decision seems to have opened up a number of possibilities for the X-Men franchise, which seems to have done best when it was aimed at a more mature audience. And it hasn't escaped Keen's attention either.
Speaking to Looper (via Comicbook.com), Keen says the Deadpool 3 news made her "100 percent hopeful" for a surprise return as X-23. The now 15-year-old says she "suspected" Disney wouldn't do any more R-rated movies, but now that Deadpool 3 has the green light she sees things differently. Keen adds that it opens the studio up to other R-rated movies, giving her hope of reprising the role that made her famous. You can read her full thoughts below:
I'm 100 percent hopeful. 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.
Keen is clearly up for a return, but that of course doesn't mean Disney is interested in an X-23 solo movie. At this point, very little is known about the place of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige has said in the past that he won't be rushing to include the mutants just for the sake of it. There will clearly be a number of X-Men projects in future, and Deadpool 3 is likely the first of many, but Keen may have to be patient if she wants to return.
Arguably, the longer Disney waits to bring back established X-Men characters the better, and X-23 is a prime example. A solo movie featuring the character as a young adult would be far more interesting that one which sees her just a few years older than she was in Logan. If Disney decides to connect the timelines at all, a look at X-23 perhaps a decade after the traumatic events of Logan would be fascinating, following the mutant as an adult to see how that early trauma has affected her. For now, though, Keen is going to have to wait and see how Disney deals with the X-Men universe in Deadpool 3, and take it from there.
Source: Looper (via Comicbook.com)