Though Charles Xavier and his peers still have at least one more adventure to go in the form of Dark Phoenix, a lot of fans are already looking ahead with excitement to the fresh start for the X-Men saga that the Disney/Fox merger is expected to bring. X-Force, on the other hand is a different matter, with the Deadpool series currently carrying a lot more momentum with both critics and the filmgoing public than the property it spun off from.
With that in mind, it came as no surprise to see the backlash that greeted the recent rumor that X-Force could be one of the many X-Men-related projects to get dropped in the transition to Disney, with even Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld sharing a few words of commiseration. But while we still don’t know for sure if this ensemble flick will ever see the light of day, Deadpool 2 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have at least provided a little update on the team’s intended plan, explaining to Screen Rant that that X-Force should come our way before the Deadpool series gets its third installment.
“According to the chronology that we’ve established, X-Force will be next, before Deadpool,” Reese said. “It’s a bit of the ‘Iron Man 1, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3‘ model, in that sense. X-Force isn’t being written by us. It’s being written and directed by Drew Goddard, or at least that’s the plan right now. We’re not involved with that one. We do anticipate there will be a Deadpool 3 at some point, but it’s just a little premature, because it will definitely take a backseat to X-Force for the time being.”
From the sound of things, Reese and Wernick have plenty else on their plate right now, but according to the latter, the pair is still managing to keep in the loop with Deadpool, explaining that they’re always getting in contact with their old colleague Ryan Reynolds to exchange ideas.
“We’re constantly in touch with Ryan, and we’re always throwing ideas back and forth via text and phone conversations,” Wernick said. “So, it’s always at the front of our minds. We’ll get there when the time is right, but as of right now, X-Force is next up.”
Reese and Wernick seem to be operating under the assumption that Wade Wilson’s R-rated adventures aren’t going to stop once Disney is in charge, but regardless of what the future holds for X-Force and Deadpool 3, it’ll definitely feel like the end of an era once Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants have completed their respective journeys to cinemas later this year.
