Fox Close To Casting Ryan Reynolds For 'Deadpool' Feature

Deadline is reporting that Fox is close to signing a deal with Ryan Reynolds to play Deadpool in his own feature film, the character he originated in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The movie will be directed by Tim Miller and is based on a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, with Lauren Shuler Donner producing. Production is set to begin in March.

In the Wolverine movie, Deadpool was a smart-mouthed mercenary with terminal cancer who undergoes military experiments in an attempt to replicate Wolverine’s mutant healing factor as well as the abilities of other mutants. He came away with the ability to heal quickly — but for the price of being indestructible, he was rendered severely scarred. How or if this will impact the new movie remains unclear at this time.

The new Deadpool film is tentatively scheduled to be released in February 2016.