'X-Force' Is Coming To Theaters — And Drew Goddard Is Joining As Writer/Director

Last year's #Deadpool proved that there's more to the #XMen franchise than the tentpole films, and Fox has since been working hard on adding diversity to the slate. This year saw the brutal, bloody Western Logan bring an end to Hugh Jackman's time as Wolverine, and next year we'll be thrilled to watch the inevitable #Deadpool2. It's been something of an open secret that Fox planned this new R-rated corner of the franchise to come to a head in an X-Force movie.

And now Fox has just announced that they're officially starting work on an X-Force movie. They've signed up Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) as writer and director, with Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds and Lauren Shuler Donner producing.

Which Version Of The Team Will We See?

X-Force is an X-Men black ops team, a brutal and bloody paramilitary unit that don't mind killing. In the comics, the first incarnation of X-Force was founded by the time-traveling mutant Cable.

More recent versions have been top-secret strike teams formed to neutralize threats to the mutant race, and they've been led by X-Men like Wolverine and Psylocke. A common theme has been that X-Force's violent tactics have often inadvertently made matters worse, giving humans a reason to hate and fear mutants, while encouraging their opponents to go to ever more extreme measures.

Fox has been interested in an X-Force movie for a long time, with Jeff Wadlow preparing a script years ago that featured some of the original X-Force members. The unexpected success of Deadpool changed the studio's plans, though, and since then they've gradually been building up a band of R-rated heroes to form the X-Force.

Deadpool 2, releasing on June 1st 2018, is a crucial step on the path to Deadpool. Most importantly, it introduces Josh Brolin's Cable and Zazie Beets's Domino, two staple members of the team in the comics. That said, Deadpool 2 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have insisted they're not going to compromise any individual film for the sake of setup. Reassuring fans, Reese explained:

"There is a responsibility we have to the X-Force universe, and I do think we will not disappoint the fans going into Deadpool 2 and then setting up X-Force and beyond... [Deadpool 2's] purpose is not to set up X-Force. It will likely set up X-Force, but the drive of the movie won’t be our eyes on Movie 3."

One character fans will want to see ally with the Merc With A Mouth is #DafneKeen's X-23. A newcomer to Hollywood, Keen wowed fans with her performance as X-23 in Logan. It's too soon for anything to be announced yet, but surely Fox has plans for this popular hero?

Fox recently booked release dates for six as-yet-unannounced Marvel movies. We know we can expect Josh Boone's New Mutants trilogy to fit into this somewhere, and no doubt there'll be more tentpole X-Men films. But it's a safe bet that one of these dates has now been booked for X-Force.

• June 7, 2019
• November 22, 2019
• March 13, 2020
• June 26, 2020
• October 2, 2020
• March 5, 2021

The success of Deadpool already makes X-Force one of the most hotly-anticipated superhero films of our age. Fox's R-rated X-Men movies have been a tremendous success, and X-Force is sure to capitalize on that.

Goddard is best known as a director for The Cabin in the Woods, and he's served as a writer on major hits such as The Martian, World War Z and Cloverfield, along with superhero series such as Marvel's Daredevil and The Defenders. With this creative team, another hit movie is guaranteed.