Ryan Reynolds considers Jon Favreau to be "one of the greats" of the movie business.

The 57-year-old filmmaker stars alongside Ryan, 47, in 'Deadpool and Wolverine', and Ryan has taken to social media to pay a glowing tribute to his co-star.

In a lengthy post on X, Ryan wrote: "Jon Favreau didn’t just jump into #DeadpoolAndWolverine for a quick one night stand as Happy Hogan. He gave us the 360 degree vision of an innovator, foundational Marvel forefather and ace storyteller. And if I have his number right, he is WILDLY uncomfortable with everything I’m writing in this post. But f*** it, I got what I needed out of him so he’s gonna drink the medicine.

"One of the many things I love about playing Deadpool is that he’s a fan. Like me. Deadpool LOVES Marvel. So, working with Jon who’s one of the original creatives who built an empire, was somehow BETTER than sitting with one of my heroes. And almost better than being cradled in Thor’s powerful arms while he sobs like a f****** motherless child who lost his binky in a house fire. (sic)"

Jon - who reprised the role of Harold 'Happy' Hogan for the new movie - has been significantly involved in the success of the Marvel movies, directing films such as 'Iron Man' and 'Iron Man 2'.

Ryan appreciated having Jon's creative input for the new movie.

He said: "Jon is one of the greats. Yeah, the movie benefitted from his incredible performance, but we got something more important: his generosity of time and energy to talk story and brainstorm larger themes and ideas.

"I’d drop everything to show up for this guy anytime or anywhere. Thank you, Jon."