The upcoming Deadpool from director Tim Miller (as well as Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) will explore the origins of Wade Wilson aka The Merc With a Mouth - Ryan Reynolds (sort of) reprising his X-Men Origins: Wolverine role - in the context of 20th Century Fox’s established Marvel comic book movie universe. The second theatrical trailer released for Deadpool emphasizes that the R-Rated action/comedy will, in fact, acknowledge the existence of the greater X-Men cinematic universe, even as the actual film plays out closer to a standalone superhero adventure.
It’s probably safe to assume that Deadpool won’t appear in Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, seeing as the latter (the final chapter in the X-Men: First Class trilogy) is set three decades before Wade Wilson’s solo film (which takes place in the present-day). However, that doesn’t mean Deadpool won’t share any connections with the two X-Men solo films slated to reach theaters in 2017 (Wolverine 3 and, most likely, Gambit) - and based on the latest images released for Miller’s movie, Deadpool may lay the groundwork for another X-Men spinoff altogether.
Here is what Reynolds told Empire, with regard to how Deadpool manages to be its own thing yet remain inside the perimeters of the X-Men Cinematic Universe sandbox:
Besides Reynolds’ Merc With a Mouth, other characters that will appear in Deadpool include Colossus (now played by Stefan Kapicic), Angel Dust (Gina Carano), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). You can check out the aforementioned players in the Deadpool image gallery, below:
“This film certainly works within the context of the X-Men universe, but it doesn’t necessarily include the sensibilities of an X-Men movie. It’s like taking an X-Men character, pumping him full of LSD and then releasing him back into the fold.”
The last of these Deadpool images shows Negasonic Teenage Warhead, aka Ellie Phimister, dressed in what is clearly a New Mutants uniform. Writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) is currently developing a big screen adaptation of the New Mutants comic books for Fox, so it stands to reason that NTW’s choice of wardrobe here is more than just an Easter Egg for Marvel comic book readers. It’s also worth noting this isn’t the first look we’ve gotten at NTW in her New Mutants uniform; likewise, it was a given already that she and Colossus are working with the X-Men when they appear in Deadpool.
Establishing that the New Mutants exist in Deadpool would be the sort of inter-connected storytelling approach that has become more commonplace, especially when it comes to superhero franchises. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Hildebrand is coming back as one of the stars in New Mutants down the line, seeing as the Negasonic Teenage Warhead is not part of the core New Mutants group in the Marvel comics. It might simply be a reflection of the fact that she’s an up and coming X-Men, instead.
Then again, seeing as Hildebrand’s character has the potential to become a fan-favorite following her appearance in Deadpool, bringing her back for Boone’s X-Men spinoff could prove to be a smart move on Fox’s part (and help to move the X-Men franchise into the future). Deadpool himself has appeared in New Mutants comic books before too, so it’s plausible that Reynolds could likewise show up in Boone’s upcoming superhero film. What do you think?
Deadpool will open in U.S. theaters on February 12th, 2016, followed by X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27th, 2016; Gambit sometime in 2017; Wolverine 3 on March 3rd, 2017; and an untitled X-Men film on July 13th, 2018. The New Mutants is also in development.
Source: Empire
