Following the success of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds teased the idea of getting an X-Force film off the ground. The film would follow a black-ops team of mutants, led by the time-traveling Cable, that would take a more proactive stance against threats to mutantkind. Recently, it was confirmed that Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces) would pen the script. But that still left the film without a director.

Now there’s word that Fox has tapped Drew Goddard, writer of films like Cloverfield and Deadpool 2, to write and direct X-Force. More on the story below.

The spinoff will reportedly feature Reynolds and Josh Brolin reprising their roles as Deadpool and Cable, respectively. According to the report, Reynolds, along with Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner, will produce.

For those who may not be familiar with X-Force, the title comic book saw Cable travel back to the past in order to change his apocalyptic timeline. He then assembled a mutant strike team who took a more militant and aggressive approach towards its enemies compared to the X-Men. Members include Deadpool, Archangel, Deathlok, Fantomex, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Wolfsbane, Cyclops, Domino, and Wolverine.

Obviously, Fox would be unable to use Deathlok, but there are plenty of other mutants they could use at their disposal. But it remains to be seen if Goddard will stay true to the source material and use the same members – many of whom already have actors – if he will change the actors like Deadpool changed for Colossus, or if he will assemble a different team. Then there’s the matter of Wolverine, if he is in the film, who will play him and if that is the best place to introduce him.

No word yet if Zazie Beetz will reprise her role as Domino, who will appear in Deadpool 2.

Goddard’s other credits include Netflix and Marvel’s Daredevil, and he was once attached to direct The Sinister Six, which was a part of The Amazing Spider-Man spinoffs that never took off.

After the disappointing turnout of X-Men: Apocalypse, Fox is looking to revitalize the franchise with new projects. New Mutants, which will be the 11-film of Fox’s X-Men film franchise, will introduce a new class of mutants that will focus group of young mutants held in a secret facility fight to save themselves. Then there’s the upcoming chapter in the saga which continues on with the tentatively titled X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The film, which stars Jessica Chastain in the lead villain role, will be a loose adaptation of the Dark Phoenix storyline. There’s also Deadpool 2.

With the success of films like Deadpool and Logan, we can probably expect X-Force to have the same tone.

[Source: Deadline]