One month after test footage for a potential Deadpool movie leaked online, Fox has announced its intentions to move forward with the project. And it sounds like the leaked footage is the reason it's happening.
Fans went nuts over the footage, which featured actor Ryan Reynolds as the "merc with a mouth," in a scene in which he takes out an SUV full of bad guys in the most outrageous way possible. It's believed that this widespread viral reaction is largely responsible for Fox's renewed interest in the character.
Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, is a mutant with superhuman fighting abilities and the ability to heal at an accelerated rate. He also happens to be mentally unstable, which, in the comics, finds him depicted as a fast-talking, wise-cracking nutjob. He also harbors an intense love for tacos, and frequently breaks the fourth wall to speak to the reader. Reynolds does the same in the leaked test clip.
Fox owns the film rights to a Deadpool movie because the character is technically a mutant, though he's rarely identified as such. Reynolds briefly appeared as Wade Wilson in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which most fans remember as one of the few highlights from that film. Wilson was given an origin of sorts in the movie, but it's unknown if Fox will keep that backstory or concoct a new one.
Because of his long involvement with and interest in the character, Fox will undoubtedly pursue Ryan Reynolds for the role, though there's no official word on that yet. Tim Miller will make his directorial debut on the project, with Deadpool scheduled to arrive in theaters on February 12, 2016. That date gives it a full month on screens before Warner Bros. drops juggernaut Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
