Movies

Deadpool & Wolverine Subpoena: Marvel Fights Back in Legal Drama

BBG News

In this ongoing courtroom saga, various subpoenas have been issued regarding the case at hand. Notably, one of these documents landed on Marvel’s doorstep. In response to the summons, Marvel has acknowledged the request, specifically concerning their upcoming 2024 blockbuster film, “Nicepool,” and its character involved in the case.

2024’s hit movie reintroduced Ryan Reynolds as the wisecracking character Deadpool, this time teaming up with Hugh Jackman who made a comeback to portray Wolverine. The film was a blockbuster, earning $1.33 billion globally and ranking second for the year behind “Inside Out 2”, and as the highest-grossing live-action movie. However, Marvel Studios is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over certain rights, and they’ve recently sent Judge Lewis J. Liman a letter to dismiss the subpoena and seek a protective order, as stated in motion #186, filed on April 25th.

Essentially, the legal troubles began when Lively filed a CRD Complaint on December 20th, which was then extensively reported in The New York Times the next day. The actress from Gossip Girl alleged that Justin Baldoni, her co-star and also the film’s producer and director, had subjected her to sexual harassment and instigated a malicious campaign to tarnish her image.

Initially, Baldoni refuted the accusations and launched a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times. On the same day, Lively took similar legal action. Subsequently, Baldoni escalated the legal battle with another lawsuit worth $400 million against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane, citing defamation, extortion, and a malicious campaign. The trial for this case is scheduled to commence in March 2026, under the supervision of Judge Lewis J. Liman.

In the course of the ongoing legal battle, Bryan Freedman, attorney for Baldoni, has issued several subpoenas. Since the beginning of this situation, fans have noticed parallels between Nicepool and Justin Baldoni. Sending a character like Moxie, which is not harmful to Marvel or the movie, merely serves as an example of potential malice. This is because, if Lively’s accusations were valid, they would’ve addressed the serious matter through proper channels instead of satirizing Baldoni in Reynolds’ superhero film.

Additionally, Reynolds didn’t refute the allegations suggesting that Nicepool originated from Baldoni. In his response, the actor highlighted Baldoni’s “sensitive indignation” and asserted that he was sued due to “offended sensibilities.

In the Marvel subpoena, the Baldoni parties sought “all records and correspondences” related to the formation, refinement, or discussions about Deadpool & Wolverine, regardless if they were shared among employees or with writers, directors, actors, or other individuals. This includes emails, text messages, memos, and meeting minutes. Additionally, they requested “all records and correspondences pertaining to Baldoni.

In the letter to the judge, Marvel has requested either to dismiss the subpoena as it doesn’t pertain to resolving the issues in this case, or to grant a protective order for confidential documents related to their ongoing movie franchise (Marvel Cinematic Universe). They based this request on the MCU’s success largely due to its interconnected storylines, plots, and characters. If granted, Marvel also asked for discovery proceedings to be postponed until a decision is made on Ryan Reynolds’ motion to dismiss.

Hugh Jackman and Taylor Swift Are Expecting a Subpoena, Too

The high-profile case making headlines since the start of the year has attracted a number of notable figures, apart from Baldoni, Lively, and Reynolds. According to reports, Reynolds’ friend Taylor Swift, who is also the godmother to their four children, as well as Hugh Jackman, may soon receive subpoenas in connection with this case. A source revealed that anyone with knowledge of the situation will be issued a subpoena regardless of their celebrity status. However, another source speculates that these claims are just a smokescreen intended to divert attention from the allegations against Baldoni.

In response to the disclosure of Lively filing a subpoena via her company Vanzan for Stephanie Jones’ text messages back in October 2024, a new subpoena has since been issued. This initial request did not specify any names, only referring to John Does. Notably, this legal action was initiated prior to her submitting her CRD complaint, which ultimately led to the dismissal of the lawsuit.

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2025-04-26 19:35

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