Deadpool 2 isn’t even in theaters yet, but that hasn’t deterred 21st Century Fox from mapping out the next installment of the X-Men franchise starring everyone’s favorite Merc With A Mouth. Back in February of this year, the movie studio dusted off their X-Force movie and installed director Joe Carnahan at the helm. At the time, star Ryan Reynolds also signed on to help co-write the script. Then in March, Fox producer Simon Kinberg told Deadline that X-Force was still on the table. After that, the news about the project became sparse.
Now it looks like Carnahan is out. Deadline is reporting that Drew Goddard is taking over the film as both director and writer. While Goddard’s directing experience is limited, he’s well known for his witty writing such as penning The Cabin In The Woods and adapting The Martian for film. Goddard was originally tapped by Sony Pictures to helm their Sinister Six film before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 tanked any hopes of that franchise continuing apace. Now, it seems with X-Force, Goddard will finally get a chance to show Hollywood what he can do with a blockbuster budget.
Fox has been trying to get an X-Force film off the ground since at least 2013, but with the runaway success of R-rated superhero movies like Deadpool and Logan, movie-goers could finally be ready for an X-Force that doesn’t have to be watered down. First appearing in 1991, the team was the brainchild of comic writer and artist Rob Liefeld. The comic followed Cable (a mutant from the future, played by Josh Brolin in the upcoming Deadpool 2) as he formed a militant sub-sect of the X-Men to fight enemies in a more aggressive manner. The original team consisted of Cable, Domino, Cannonball, Shatterstar, Warpath, Feral, and Boom Boom. X-Force spun-out from New Mutants, another project being adapted for Fox. As the two properties are connected in the comic universe, it’s safe to say whatever happens in New Mutants will affect X-Force and vice versa.