With last year’sX-Men: Apocalypseset in the 1980s and last weekend’sLoganset in the year 2029, theX-Men franchiseis not the easiest to keep track of. WhileLoganisn’t really connected to theX-Menuniverse, since it is set farther in the future than any of the otherX-Menmovies, it still has fans wondering what the future might hold for the franchise. ProducerSimon Kinbergrecently shed some light on this growing universe, revealing one key detail, thatDeadpoolandCablewill be the leaders of the title team in the spin-offX-Force.
That may not come as much of a surprise for those who follow the comics, whereDeadpoolandCablewere longtime members of theX-Forcegroup, who take on more “extreme” missions than theX-Men.Deadpool 2writersRhett ReeseandPaul Wernickeven teased last February thatDeadpoolwill cross over intoX-Forceafter theDeadpool 2sequel. While promotingLoganin an interview withDeadline, producerSimon Kinbergreveals that there is an extensive plan in place for the entireX-Menuniverse, while revealing thatCableandDeadpoolwill lead theX-Forceteam.
“We are working hard onNew Mutants,GambitwithChanning Tatum,Deadpool 2and the newX-Force moviewhereDeadpoolis alongside Cable and other main characters. Deadpool 2 is going into production this year. ThenX Forcewhich is a combination of Deadpool, and Cable, they’re like the Black ops of the X-Men. They’re much darker and have an R-rated decibel. There are otherX-Mencharacters coming intoX-Forceat different times in the comic, but it’s separate fromX-Men. There is a larger architecture to tell these stories in. I talk to the studio all the time about this and there is a plan for how these movies can connect and be a part of a larger narrative. It’s something that’s fun, exciting and it will be interesting to see how we marry the different tones that we’ve been generating in these standalone movies of the X-Men universe. But we go into making the best movie we can. It’s not just about a Colossus or Deadpool cameo. Connecting all of these movies will happen when it organically makes sense. These movies aren’t simply being built as stepping stones to a larger story. Each one is wholly enclosed and a movie worth seeing.”
Simon Kinbergrevealed in May that 20th Century Fox would be open to an R-ratedX-Forcemovie, which certainly isn’t surprising coming in the wake ofDeadpoolandLogan’s success. There has been no indication ifGambitorThe New Mutantswould be crafted as R-rated movies, but given the fact thatThe New Mutantscenters on younger characters, it may not be the best movie to craft for an R rating. Regardless, the studio hasn’t released much aboutThe New Mutants,GambitorX-Forceyet, and it isn’t immediately clear which will go before cameras first.
The latest update onX-Forcecame last month, when it was rumored thatBad Boys IIIdirectorJoe Carnahanwas coming aboard to directX-Force, and that he is actually co-writing the screenplay withDeadpoolandDeadpool 2starRyan Reynolds. That report was never confirmed by the studio, but ifJoe Carnahanis in fact coming aboard, he’ll take over forJeff Wadlow, who was announced as the project’s screenwriter back at Comic-Con 2013. It seems that the success ofDeadpoolhelped bringX-Forceout of development, and with a new director and writer reportedly on board, we could hear more about this project very soon.
