'Deadpool 3' director Shawn Levy is hoping Hollywood's striking writers and actors can reach a resolution to allow work on his superhero movie to continue.

The US entertainment industry has been brought to a standstill after members of the Writers Guild of America and the SAG-AFTRA actors union walked out earlier this year as part of an ongoing dispute over issues including pay and conditions and Levy was half-way through making his Marvel movie - starring Ryan Reynolds - when they had to shut down.

He's now insisted he's hoping the unions can reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to get movie production back up and running again. Speaking to Deadline.com, he explained: "Well, like the rest of our industry, or at least large swath of it, we’re paused. We’re halfway through filming 'Deadpool', co-starring Wolverine. It was a joy every day and that chemistry is as relentless as we all hoped it would be.

"Our crew and the rest of us are awaiting a fair and equitable deal that ends these strikes and puts this industry, inclusive of our movie, back at work."

The movie is due to hit cinemas in May 2024 but it's not known if they will be able to meet the deadline if the strikes continue.

It co-stars Hugh Jackman who is bringing his X-Men character Wolverine to 'Deadpool 3' and Levy insists the film will be worth the wait.

He said: "Our movie is raw, audacious, very much R-rated and we went to great lengths to not shoot it on sound stages with digital environments. We wanted something that felt, grounded, real … You put Hugh Jackman in his most iconic character alongside Ryan Reynolds in his most iconic character; it’s more of a descendant of 'Midnight Run', and 4'8 Hours', and 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' more than it’s a descendant of 'Airplane'.”