FOX has a number of expansions to their X-Men universe in the works, and they’ve just tapped Drew Goddard to take control of their latest. The Daredevil showrunner and The Cabin in the Woods writer/director will pen the script and helm X-Force.
X-Force will spin out of Deadpool and the upcoming Deadpool 2, putting an R-rated spin on the mutant super-team formula. Producer Simon Kinberg described the film to Deadline as “the Black ops of the X-Men. They’re much darker and have an R-rated decibel. There are other X-Men characters coming into X-Force at different times in the comic, but it’s separate from X-Men.”
Kinberg will produce alongside Lauren Shuler Donner and Ryan Reynolds, who will of course reprise his role as the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool. As Kinberg also mentioned to Deadline, Cable is also expected to play a big prat of the movie, meaning it’s likely Josh Brolin will reprise the character after his debut in Deadpool 2.
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Though Goddard is apparently already working on the script as he finishes up directing Bad Times at the El Royale with Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Bridges, it’s unknown as of now who will fill out the rest of the X-Force roster. The team has had numerous incarnations in the past featuring characters like Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Psylocke, Warpath, Shatterstar, and even Wolverine. Domino, who’s played by Zazie Beetz in Deadpool 2, is often on the team, and Colossus, who was portrayed by Stefan Kapicic in Deadpool, was on a recent incarnation led by Cable.
It’s likely Cannonball and Wolfsbane won’t make the roster, as they’re being played respectively by Charlie Heaton and Maisie Williams in April 13th, 2018’s X-Men: New Mutants, which just finished with director Josh Boone. Deadpool 2 will be the next X-film to get a release, as David Leitch recently wrapped shooting ahead of its June 1st, 2018 due date. Finally, the first Kinberg-directed X-feature, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, will rise in theaters on November 2nd, 2018. FOX also still has plans for a Gambit feature starring Channing Tatum, but that recently went back to the drawing board.
