Filming on 'Deadpool 2' is expected to begin in 2017.
Ryan Reynolds
The sequel to the film about the Marvel Comics character - which starred Ryan Reynolds in the titular role - is on its way sooner than fans expected.
Shooting is scheduled to take place early next year, with an early 2018 release date pencilled in, according to Fox producer Simon Kinberg - who is known for his work on the 'X-Men' franchise.
In an interview with Collider, Kinberg said: "The guys, (original screenwriters) Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, are working on the script, and we hope to have the script very soon. We hope to shoot the movie some time at the beginning of next year."
The first 'Deadpool' film, released in February 2016, became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time so it comes as no surprise that Reese and Wernick, who penned the first script, are putting the finishing touches to the sequel.
Once the script is complete, the casting is expected to be finalised, followed by pre-production, under the directorship of Tim Miller.
It is not yet known what direction the storyline will take but it has been speculated that time-travelling mutant Cable - Deadpool's sometime friend and foe in the comic books - could feature in the film.
Producer Kinberg is keen to get Cable in the movie, which could focus on alternative X-Men squad the X-Force.
Kinberg - who has produced many of the 'X-Men' movies - previously said: "I think there are some stories that could be R-rated. I don't know what they are, I mean I think the mainline 'X-Men' movies have their own tone, which is a more operatic tone. It's more dramatic, it is more PG-13 in a way. 'X-Force' I could see being R-rated, and who knows?"
Reynolds has previously admitted making an X-Force movie is his number one "priority".
The 39-year-old actor's dream would be to bring Marvel Comics' militant mutant superhero squad X-Force, which has at times featured Wolverine, Psylocke and Colossus among many other characters, to the big screen.
He said: "In the future, if we're doing a bunch more 'Deadpool' movies, we're really going to explore the X-Men a lot. And maybe X-Force. X-Force is my priority. I really want to get that in."
Deadpool has a long history with X Force, having first appeared in their original Marvel comic book series New Mutants from 1991.
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