Before a third “Deadpool” morphed into “Deadpool & Wolverine” with Hugh Jackman repising Logan and earning a hefty $1.3 billion at the global box office, 20th Century Fox had tasked Drew Goddard (“The Matrix 5”) to write/direct the most recent incarnation of an “X-Force” film (before the merger killed it) for the studio that would have had Wade Wilson among the roster with other high-profile mutant characters.
There is now a report from The Hollywood Reporter that franchise actor/producer/co-writer Ryan Reynolds is in early development at Marvel Studios for what is being referred to as a mysterious “crossover/teamup” film that is expected to feature X-Men members without directly naming those characters. However, adding it won’t be another solo adventure.
Again, making us believe there is strong potential they’re reviving “X-Force” as another R-rated follow-up would make the most sense, given this was what Reynolds/Fox was planning to do after “Deadpool 2.”
This comes after Reynolds himself told Time Magazine he was “writing a little something” for Marvel, but in that same interview downplayed the merc-with-a-mouth joining the main ranks of “The Avengers” or the “X-Men.” Calling that idea pure “wish fulfillment,” a potential hint to this new untitled project, THR is now talking about.
“I’m writing a little something right now, that’s, I don’t know, it’s an ensemble…But, I like that [Deadpool] is isolated,” Reynolds teased to Time Magazine about what he’s cooking up at Marvel. “If Deadpool becomes an Avenger or an X-Man, we’re at the end,” Reynolds said of future crossovers with big PG-13 MCU teams. ‘That’s wish fulfillment, and you can’t give him that.”
Fans of the “X-Force” comic runs will know that Wade is a more recent member of the black-ops muant team (who take on death wish missions when compared to the “X-Men”) alongside Wolverine, Psylocke, Laura (X-23), Domino, Cable, Colossus, Shatterstar, Bishop, Archangel, Nightcrawler, Warpath, Fantomex, and many others. Giving Marvel and Reynolds the perfect excuse to sort of do their own version of “Thunderbolts*” and “The Suicide Squad,” alongside opening the door for another R-rated romp, as there is certainly a global market for more mature MCU installments.
Actress Olivia Munn, who once played Psylocke in “X-Men: Apocalypse,” even posted a funny video on Instagram with Reynolds teasing her sword skills (See below) and had been extremely critical of the previous creative team of Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg, not understanding her character or the lore. Munn’s Psylocke could easily be part of this project, if we had to make guesses. It’s worth remembering that Reynolds and Shawn Levy brought Channing Tatum‘s Gambit to the big screen in their billion-dollar hit after his solo film was dusted and is now officially part of the lineup in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
It makes logical sense that this is likely going to be “X-Force,” as Jackman’s Logan and Dafne Keen‘s Laura now hanging out with Wade in his universe, thanks to the TVA in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Then again, we’ll have to wait for further confirmation from Marvel and Reynolds as the new report is as bare-bones as it gets on details.
Another option could be a version of “Weapon X/Team X” or seeing Wade interacting with the Canadian government team, “Alpha Flight” (had a minor nod in “Deadpool 2”) Although at the moment, “X-Force” feels like the easiest branding move for them, given that the team name is extremely popular among comic fans and has already been mentioned in previous “Deadpool” films.
