With Deadpool 2 having just about left cinemas after a record-breaking run, its sequel, X-Force seems a very long way off. However, with Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox now all but assured and the series’ excellent box office performance continuing to impress, it looks like Ryan Reynolds and the rest of the creative team are eager to get the third installment off the ground as soon as possible, perhaps even targeting a 2020 release.
But while we can assume some of the weird and wonderful mutants seen in Deadpool 2 will return, we don’t know much else about what’ll happen in the film. Or at least, we didn’t, until creator Rob Liefeld let something juicy slip. He was recently asked about whether Stryfe would appear in X-Force and said the following.
“Well, do you really hire Josh Brolin if you don’t want him to play both roles? We are perfectly assembled for an X-Force movie. And how do you not scratch that Stryfe itch, right?”
For those not up to speed on their terrible mid-90s comics, Stryfe is a villainous clone of Cable and possesses identical mutant powers. However, due to never being infected by the techno-organic virus that gave Cable his robot arm, his powers were never dampened. This means he doesn’t need to use his abilities to keep the virus from consuming his body, freeing him up to be a powerfully destructive psychic. On top of all that, he’s also been genetically manipulated to give him superhuman strength and durability.
With Josh Brolin having just played both Cable in Deadpool 2 and Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, it looks like he’s set to corner the market in gravelly voiced badasses for at least the next couple of years. And if X-Force is going to give us Brolin v. Brolin, then sign me the hell up!
While the pic‘s still in early development right now, it’s expected to start moving forward in a big way by the end of the year. I doubt that a script’s been completed, but it seems clear that Liefeld has at least discussed a broad plot outline with various members of the creative team, so hopefully we learn more soon.
