Comics
Reynolds & Miller Officially Back For ‘Deadpool 2’
Not that we didn’t rightfully assume that they would be, but star Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Miller have officially been confirmed as returning for Deadpool 2. As reported by THR, Fox confirmed their attachment today during a presentation at CinemaCon. Rumor has it that the sequel might be shooting as early as this fall, but you can guarantee that no matter when it rolls, Fox is probably eyeing a 2018 release for it.
Deadpool as a project limped along with nothing more than a prayer and the enthusiasm of fans and Reynolds himself for years. After the creative (and to a lesser degree, financial) disappointment that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, all hope for a spin-off for the Merc with a Mouth seemed lost until fans went wild for a leaked pitch video a couple years back. That and a regime change at Fox were enough to get this irreverent take on the X-Men franchise off the ground.
It might have seemed like a risk initially and something that would be too niche for general audiences, but the masses proved that wrong earlier this year. As of now, Deadpool is the highest grossing entry in the X-Men Cinematic Universe today, even when inflation is factored in. The R-rated comedic actioner has managed to pull in almost $756 million worldwide (off a budget of less than $60 million), assuring its place as one of the most successful films of 2016.
Little is known about plans for the sequel, aside from the fact that the same creative team will be in place for it, including producers Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler-Donner. Writers Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese have already been hard at work on a screenplay for the follow-up, which at this time is expected to include the gun-toting, time-traveling mutant Cable. The original film carried a post-credits tagged that joked that the studio was looking at casting Mel Gibson, Dolph Lundgren, or Keira Knightley in the role. While the latter is highly unlikely, I honestly wouldn’t be too surprised if the first two were serious suggestions, along with Stephen Lang. Whoever is lucky enough to grab that role will likely continue in it for the also in-development X-Force, so fingers crossed that a fan favorite scores the gig.
As we wait for Deadpool 2 to arrive, we still have plenty of X-Men fun coming our way. Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse arrives in theaters near the end of May, James Mangold’s Wolverine 3 is currently ramping up to shoot soon (and is reportedly based on the “Old Man Logan” run), and Josh Boone’s New Mutants is currently casting. On top of all that, we have the TV series “Legion” arriving on FX this fall, courtesy of Noah Hawley (“Fargo“). Long story short, it’s a good time to be an X-Men fan.
IDW Dark and Paramount recently joined forces to launch limited comic book tales set in the worlds of Smile and A Quiet Place, and we’ve learned today that they’ll continue hanging around in those franchise universes with two brand new limited series tales.
Entertainment Weekly has exclusively revealed this afternoon that IDW Dark’s Any Given Smile debuts in September, while A Quiet Place: Rising Tides arrives in November.
First up, from writer Stephanie Williams and artist Pablo Collar, Any Given Smile puts a football-themed twist on Parker Finn’s successful Smile movie franchise.
The five-part limited series is “set in January 1995, during the American Arena League football championship game in St. Augustine, Florida. The rising superstar of the Sharks, backup quarterback Dupree, is feeling the pressure from his teammates, the fans, and also the city’s gambling underworld, to whom he owes a considerable debt. Meanwhile, a sports journalist investigates a string of suicides that may be connected to the big game. At the very least, they are connected to a sinister entity that preys on the minds of its victims.”
From writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, A Quiet Place: Rising Tides will also be a five-issue limited story. The comic book tale “brings the creatures to the Florida Keys, where a father-daughter duo attempt to survive on water in a houseboat.”
EW further details, “This tense family reunion coincides with the arrival of the vicious creatures that hunt through sound. Grace and her dad find safety on the open ocean, but she’ll have to make landfall sooner or later; the father’s oxygen tank and their supplies are running low, while a hurricane swiftly approaches.”
Learn more about both comic books over on Entertainment Weekly.
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