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.
