Entertainment Weekly Claims Taylor Swift is Not in Deadpool & Wolverine

Movies

Are Swifties going to sit out Deadpool & Wolverine? (And did I just lose a small piece of my soul by using the word “Swifties” for the first time?) Taylor Swift, the music icon who has turned herself into a billionaire with some shrewd business decisions, has long been rumored to be making an appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine as Dazzler. This appears to have started based on fancasting that gained traction, but it picked up speed when Hugh Jackman posted a picture of himself with co-star Ryan Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, and Swift at a football game. Swift has famously been appearing at Kansas City Chiefs games to support her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce. In subsequent interviews, no one has confirmed or denied Swift’s involvement in the film, including director Shawn Levy. But now, Entertainment Weekly claims to have exclusive confirmation that Swift will not be in the upcoming superhero movie. So, that’s that, right?

Sure, sparky. I’m not saying Taylor Swift will definitely be in Deadpool & Wolverine, or even that she’ll be Dazzler (it might even be funnier if she’s not). But I’m not wiping my hands of the possibility because Entertainment Weekly says so. They don’t say where the information comes from or how they came about it – not even the usual vague “inside sources” – and still, no one attached to the production has gone on the record to confirm she’s not in the film. What this reminds me of most is when J.J. Abrams repeatedly denied that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness, which turned out to be a lie – or, similarly, when Marion Cotillard insisted she was not playing Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises. My suspicion is that the filmmakers want to throw people off so Swift’s arrival will surprise them. And to be honest, I don’t blame them if that’s the case, just like I completely understood why Abrams and Cotillard (who was probably speaking for Christopher Nolan, or as Nolan wanted her to) lied about their movies. These are artists trying to preserve the moviegoing experience they want their audiences to have. It’s a less extreme version of Alfred Hitchcock controlling the marketing for Psycho, preventing critic screenings, actor interviews, and late entrances into theaters showing the film. Entertainment journalists were pissed when those movies came out and the misdirections were revealed, and that told me all I needed to know about them and how much they care about cinema. So, I don’t buy this denial, but I don’t fault Levy and company for trying, especially in light of how much of Deadpool & Wolverine has already been leaked online.